Just Family Business
by CharcoalHeart
Summary: Sasuke breaks his promise to Naruto and becomes one of the most powerful mafia bosses. But when Naruto reappears five years after their breakup as caretaker of a rival boss's kid, Sasuke finds himself between a rock and a hard place, wanting to keep his beloved safe while running the biggest illegal empire. Meanwhile, dangerous conspiracies abound. MafiaBoss!Sasuke
1. Daisies

**Author's Note:** I'm back! This story's set in Modern AU and is heavily involved with the mafia life. Would just like to note that the word "mafia" is being used generally here as any ol' crime syndicate, not specifically referring to the Italian/Sicilian type.

I've already written up quite a comprehensive outline for this story. There's a lot of backstories and extraneous detail that may not necessarily be explored in full in the main story, so there's a good possibility that I'll be posting extra chapters at the end. As of right now, I have no good estimate on how long this story will be, but once I get a better idea of how the story progresses relative to my outline, I'll throw out a ballpark number.

As usual, please leave any comments or feedback if you like this story! In my early writing days I swore off tackling longer fics, but while writing _Knife Ears_ I concocted so many other amazing long-fic ideas that it'd be a waste if I didn't at least try them out. So, any feedback is really appreciated. But if you wanna just leave a nice motivational comment or two, they fill my writing gas tank too! :)

Okay, enough rambling for now. Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto lay his arm over Sasuke's pale chest, the both of them covered in a sheen of sweat.

They were in Sasuke's room, which was covered almost entirely in black and dark blue. The walls were painted a dark blue (instead of black, at Naruto's insistence), the carpet a plush black that was vacuumed once a week by the maids, the curtains black veils shielding the room from harsh sunlight, and the bedsheets switching off between black and dark blue sets. The teenagers' clothes were strewn all over the floor, with Naruto's bright ones contrasting horrifically against the carpet while Sasuke's nearly blended in.

"I'm hungry," Naruto said lazily, scratching his belly as he yawned.

Sasuke's eyes were closed, hands behind his bed as he lounged, but Naruto knew he'd heard him; he'd just chose to ignore him, as usual. The silent treatment was something Naruto got used to dealing with from his childhood best friend. Sasuke was likely either wanting Naruto to figure out why he wasn't answering, or he was coming up with a proper response. Naruto guessed it was the former.

The tanned male shrugged at the silence, got up from the bed, and looked around the room for his clothes, easily spotting them and picking them up. The brunet didn't even bother opening his eyes as he responded.

"Itachi has _guests_ over. We'll get something to eat when they're gone."

Naruto wiped himself down with his clothes and threw them into Sasuke's hamper. He started rummaging through one of the dresser drawers, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. As Naruto started pulling them on, Sasuke had peeked an eye open to spot the other going commando under the sweatpants.

"Ugh, but he _always_ has guests over," Naruto groaned as he turned around and threw himself down on the foot of the bed, now fully clothed.

"It's part of the business," Sasuke said, shrugging, "Be glad that he deals with it so I don't have to."

Sasuke remained as he was, lounging on his bed, content with the silence that followed. He highly enjoyed moments like this, when he and Naruto were so close to one another, able to feel each other's presence.

A few minutes into the silence, however, Naruto broke it with, "Hey, Sasuke?"

The brunet grunted, urging Naruto to get on with it. When there was another minute of silence, Sasuke looked over at Naruto, who was fidgeting. He fidgeted when he was nervous.

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto was lying on his back, frowning at the ceiling, and his frown continued as he turned his head to Sasuke.

"Are you ever going to...you know, end up helping with the family business?"

Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows to look at Naruto and frowned, mirroring Naruto's expression.

"Why would you even think that? You know I hate all this shit."

It was true. Sasuke had grown up in it, and with all the time he'd spent knee deep in that shit, he'd grown to hate it. Despite his family trying to keep him out of the loop as much as possible, the Uchiha name was so deeply entrenched in the mafia, in the darker side of Konoha's politics and the black market, that he'd be stupid not to notice. Sasuke's parents were killed because of their involvement, and despite Sasuke's pleading, Itachi had taken over the family business two years ago. The brunet had since accepted the possibility that his brother was next on the chopping block.

But all along the way, Naruto had stuck to his side, ever the faithful friend. They'd known each other since they were third graders, when Naruto transferred into the private school that Sasuke attended. From the very start, they fought— throwing crayons at each other in class, evolving to wads of paper to fists to, eventually, words. But no matter how much they fought, no matter how bad the fights got, they'd apologize and make up eventually.

Even more importantly, when Sasuke's parents had died, Naruto stuck to him like a stubborn barnacle clinging to the underside of a ship. Even when Sasuke tried to cast his friend away, Naruto had steadfastly remained at Sasuke's side. He was there the whole way while Sasuke experienced his grief at the loss of his parents and his anger at Itachi for involving himself in the family business. Suffice it to say that the blond had become Sasuke's most trusted confidante, his best friend, and his lover.

So at the question Naruto posed him, Sasuke was almost... _offended_.

Naruto was still fidgeting with his hands, having sat up from his spot on the bed.

"I know! I'm just—" Naruto sighed, "I'm nervous about college, you know? We're going to be far from each other and…"

The blond tapered off, averting his eyes from Sasuke's as he saw the growing annoyance build on the brunet's face.

"You think you're the one holding me back from going to the dark side?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity as genuine as his annoyance that Naruto would think that to be the case.

"No! No, it's not that—"

"Then _what_ are you insinuating?"

Naruto bit his bottom lip, looking as if he was regretting even bringing up the subject. He stood up from the bed and looked down at Sasuke, who was still naked. Blue eyes roamed up and down the pale body appreciatively for a moment before they hardened.

"I'm not insinuating anything, Sasuke. _God_ , you get so difficult when you're defensive."

Sasuke growled, annoyance as well as lust rushing through him. The way Naruto eyed him was a tempting invitation, much more so than the invitation for a fight from Naruto's cutting words. He got up from the bed as well and faced the other, sauntering up to Naruto and snaking his hand to the back of Naruto's head to grasp at blond locks.

"I only get defensive when provoked," Sasuke clarified softly, his breath fanning over Naruto's lips.

Those blue eyes, electrified with arousal and now annoyance, gazed up at Sasuke, not giving even the slightest hint of fear. Sasuke smirked. This defiance, this unwillingness to back off, was part of the reason why the pale teen loved Naruto. But Sasuke didn't want to delve into whatever serious conversation Naruto wanted to have—not now.

"Fuck you," Naruto growled, only to feel his breath hitch suddenly when Sasuke leaned in to nip at his throat.

Sasuke smirked again, his lips trailing lightly up that expanse of tanned skin to Naruto's chin. He captured Naruto's lips in a searing kiss, pressing his body hot against Naruto's as he pressed his tongue into the other's, swallowing whatever sounds that were threatening to escape between them. Sasuke tightened his grip on Naruto's hair, pulling his own head back as they parted from their kiss.

The look of utter arousal washed out any other emotion from Naruto's face, which sent a delicious jolt to Sasuke's groin. The tanned skin was slightly flush, and it took Sasuke all his willpower to not go ahead and just push Naruto back onto the bed.

"I'm sure we can make arrangements for that," Sasuke said in reply to Naruto's angry words.

Naruto growled again.

"You can't keep distracting me with sex everytime I try to have a real conversation with you, Sasuke."

Sasuke ignored Naruto, releasing his grip on the blond's hair, grabbing the other's shirt, and pulling it over his head. As soon as the shirt came off, Sasuke pushed Naruto back onto the bed, watching those blue eyes change from surprised to angry.

"Jesus, you're not even listening to me. Sasuke!"

Naruto had placed his hands on Sasuke's chest and pushed upward, separating their bodies for a moment as they stared at one another, both panting for air. Though the blond felt an aching need to feel Sasuke on him _right now_ , he knew the other was only trying to get him to forget all about this conversation.

"I'm not letting this go," Naruto said firmly, earning him a grunt from Sasuke as the other teen pushed himself off and lay down next to the blond, "You can try to distract me all you want, but I need you to promise me, Sasuke— promise me that you won't have anything to do with the family business. God forbid, your brother actually gets killed or goes missing or whatever— promise me you'll let the business die. Itachi hated the business as much as you did, but look at him now; he's a fucking goddamn mafia boss."

Sasuke had turned to his side, his back to Naruto as he listened to the blond's words. _Of course_ he'd let the fucking business die. He didn't want anything to do with it.

But hearing Naruto sounding so fearful, so _desperate_ , made Sasuke's stomach churn. He felt his chest constrict at the thought that Naruto would even _think_ he'd do that to him.

"I know you're worried, Naruto," Sasuke said as he looked over his shoulder, "but I'm not going to touch any of that shit with a ten foot pole."

"Then say it. _Promise me_ you won't."

Those glistening blue eyes stared at Sasuke earnestly, Naruto wanting so badly to hear those words from the other teen. Sasuke sighed and turned around, propping himself on his elbow as he took Naruto's hands in his.

"I promise, Naruto."

oooOOooo

 _One year later_

Sasuke looked up from his desk when he heard a knock, spotting Naruto at the door. If it were half a year ago, the brunet would have quickly alt-tabbed his computer to hide whatever he was working on, in fear that the blond would find out what was really preoccupying his time. But now, he simply ceased typing, turning from the angled computer monitor to watch Naruto take two steps into the study and stand there quietly, his hands clasped in front of him.

They watched each other for a few moments in silence, brilliant blue meeting smoldering black in an intense gaze. Naruto was the first to avert his eyes, however, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"You promised me you weren't going to go down this path, Sasuke."

The brunet could feel his chest constrict at the pain in Naruto's voice. Sasuke knew he'd gone back on his word, but Naruto just _didn't understand_. It was clear he didn't; this wasn't the first time Naruto was drudging this up. Despite what Naruto might think, however, Sasuke remembered the day that he'd made that promise to Naruto as if it were just yesterday.

But things were different then.

They had spoken about the change in Sasuke's "five-year plan" numerous times in the past few months, and Sasuke could tell Naruto was now getting tired. They'd argued about it, discussed it calmly, even, but Naruto just could not change Sasuke's mind. As it stood, Sasuke had nothing to say to Naruto, but he made no move to go back to the spreadsheet on his computer.

"You're supposed to be looking forward to your second year of college, Sasuke, not deal with this—this _bullshit_ ," Naruto stuttered as he gestured with his hands. He stilled, then let out a scoff before he continued, "I should've stayed in Konoha with you."

"It wouldn't have changed anything if you stayed, Naruto," Sasuke said, his baritone voice cutting through the room.

Sasuke had averted his gaze just slightly as he said it, missing the hurt that flashed across the blond's face. But that expression left as quickly as it came.

Naruto sighed, "We don't know that. But it's too fucking late for that now, isn't it?"

"It's too fucking late for a lot of things," Sasuke said flippantly as he leaned back in his chair, warily watching Naruto.

The blond bristled at the blatant disregard from Sasuke. He stomped up to the dark walnut desk and slammed his hands on the surface, throwing his face into the other's. Sasuke didn't even flinch.

" _What the fuck_ is wrong with you? Are you even at least the bit upset by _any_ of this? Do you even understand why _I'm_ upset?" Naruto yelled.

The commotion raised alarms with the two bodyguards down the hall, and they ran into the room to investigate. Sasuke dismissed them with a wave of a hand. The blond scoffed again, taking a step back as he shook his head.

"Honestly, I don't even know why I came here. I keep hoping that you'll change your mind, but you're a fucking lost cause."

Sasuke watched Naruto quietly, unsure of what to say. It seemed Sasuke was finding himself less and less able to explain himself to the blond, ever since he took over the family business.

Not two months after he'd promised Naruto he would let the family business die, Itachi went missing. No one could confirm whether he was dead or just MIA, but Sasuke mourned for the loss of his brother. It was just a few weeks before Sasuke and Naruto were due to start their first semesters in college. Sasuke's plan was to stay in Konoha and attend Sound University in the next town over, while Naruto moved to the on-campus dorms at Sand University an hour away.

But with Itachi's disappearance, Sasuke's world rapidly crumbled around him. He had full plans to let the family business die, as he'd promised Naruto, but the day after Itachi was reported missing, Sasuke was visited by his brother's right-hand man, Kakashi. It was only after the silver-haired man's explanation that he understood the delicate balance of all of Konoha rested on Sasuke's ascendance to the proverbial throne.

It was then that Sasuke entered the _family business_.

It was then that Sasuke realized his life was no longer his to control.

And so he quietly dropped from Sound University before he even started, not once discussing his decision with Naruto before he did so. The situation with the family business was bigger than either of them, and for Sasuke to even hesitate in taking over, as ignorant as he was about the dark path he was heading down, would mean the death of Konoha's delicate ecosystem.

When Naruto headed off to Sand University a week before classes officially started for freshman orientation, Naruto was none the wiser about Sasuke and the family business. By that point, Sasuke was dutifully immersed into the business with the help of Kakashi.

Sasuke and Naruto kept in constant contact with one another for the next few months. Naruto had visited home often on the weekends, and Sasuke had even visited Naruto at Sand University twice during the semester. But anytime they talked about classes, Naruto would prattle on while Sasuke listened. Throughout the entire fall semester, Sasuke thought he had successfully fooled Naruto.

But when Naruto came back to Konoha for the winter holidays, he barged his way into Sasuke's house and demanded Sasuke explain to him what the hell was going on. Apparently Naruto was more perceptive than he gave him credit for. Sasuke wasn't ready for that conversation, but he reluctantly admitted to dropping out of school to join the family business. The resulting argument, with Sasuke not having mentally prepared himself, was undoubtedly the worst, most emotional, most explosive argument ever. Sasuke definitely said some things he regretted. By the end of that argument, they'd broken up, ending their three-year romantic relationship.

That day was one of the worst for Sasuke, arguably even worse than when he'd found out his parents were dead. The following days were even worse still; it was the first time Sasuke was wholly alone for Christmas and New Year's.

Then spring semester came around. Sasuke continued to learn more about the business while Naruto lived a normal college life. Their communication was sparse, maybe a few texts sent a week, which was significantly less than before their argument. About once a month one would call the other, but every call would result in an argument about Sasuke's life decisions.

Even now, Naruto was still trying to bring him back from that dark path, desperately clinging on to the hope that Sasuke would eventually acquiesce and turn back towards the path they'd planned out _together_. It was a valiant effort, for sure, but Sasuke couldn't just drop everything and go back. He was too far in it now to turn back.

Sasuke shut his eyes as he let Naruto's biting words sink in. He _was_ a lost cause. He knew he deserved this, deserved to be hated by the only important person left in his life who loved him.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say.

For the third time, Naruto scoffed, "You know what, Sasuke? I'm sorry too. I can't do this anymore. Good luck with the business."

And those were the blond's parting words before Naruto turned on his heel and walked out of Sasuke's life.

oooOOooo

 _Five years later_

"Ugh, this place blows chunks. Can't we go somewhere else, Naruto?"

The blond male sat upright in the velvet booth, his charcoal grey suit feeling crisp against his skin, the cuffs of his white button down shirt peeking out at the wrists. He adjusted his navy striped tie as he looked down at his menu, ignoring the complaints from across the booth. Naruto much preferred places a bit more casual (and a bit more in his budget) than the pricey food fare at Copper, a high-end steakhouse that served small portions of quality cuts and cured steaks. But despite his preferences, it didn't change the fact that they had to be there.

" _Narutooooo_."

In response, Naruto scooched around the curve of the booth and sat next to the kid who'd whined at him. The blond pinched the kid's left cheek, grabbing enough fat there and pulling. All the while, Naruto was looking at the menu splayed out in front of them.

"Konohamaru, we're meeting your father here for dinner. I can call him for you if you'd like to petition a change in plans."

Despite Naruto's seemingly helpful offer, both knew that the kid's adoptive father, Danzo, would hardly be amenable. He was the kind of man who, once his mind was made up, stuck to the plan. Konohamaru swatted at Naruto, releasing himself from his caretaker's hellish touch and rubbing the sore spot.

Naruto was already back to his seat, looking at the menu again. His mouth watered at the variety of cuts and preparation methods, but nothing was particular to Konohamaru's picky palate.

"I'll have them prepare you a filet mignon with mushroom gravy, with a side of mixed vegetables. And if you finish all your vegetables tonight, I'll bring you to that frozen yogurt place downtown. How's that?"

At the mention of frozen yogurt, Konohamaru perked up and replied with an enthusiastic, "Yeah!" Naruto grinned; though the kid was a handful at times, he definitely reminded Naruto of his younger years.

"Naruto?"

The blond froze, a shiver traveling up his spine as a familiar but also unfamiliar voice called him. Naruto turned his head left, only to hold his breath at the sight of Sasuke.

The... _man_ before them looked so familiar to Naruto and yet unfamiliar as well. It'd been five years since they last saw one another, but Sasuke looked—well, he looked _great_. His face had lost any trace of baby fat, filling out a strong jawline with sharp lines. Those intense eyes—they looked so much sharper, hardened from the past five years. Naruto continued to look Sasuke over, taking in the perfect fit of the black suit and dark blue tie that the other had on.

"Oh, Sasuke," Naruto said, surprise evident in his tone as he shook himself out of his daze, "It's, uh, been a while, hasn't it?"

Naruto knew it was a lame way to greet Sasuke, after all these years, but he was now completely wary of the other. They weren't the same kids they were years ago. Both Sasuke and Naruto had matured in their time away from one another.

If Sasuke thought the situation awkward, he didn't show it. Instead, he nodded his head in agreement as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, it has," Sasuke mirrored, then turning his gaze over to Konohamaru, "And who is this young _lad_?"

The blond withheld his desire to roll his eyes at Sasuke's choice of words. If anything had changed, it certainly wasn't the man's vernacular.

"I'm Konohamaru," the kid replied, thumbing at himself.

Sasuke's eyes moved over to Naruto, capturing those blue eyes in his gaze. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

"Sir, the car is ready."

A silver-haired man wearing a black turtleneck pulled up to his mouth placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, catching his attention. Sasuke turned his head abruptly, annoyance clear in his expression as he glared at the man. The man seemed to pay him no mind, instead addressing Naruto and Konohamaru.

"Very sorry to interrupt the conversation. Sasuke, why don't you leave your business card and you can resume this at a later time?"

Sasuke was already handing over his business card to Naruto, his fingertips brushing at a tanned wrist as he handed it off. At the soft touch, Naruto focused his gaze on their hands and did his best to calm himself before looking up to Sasuke's face. Even with that effort, however, when Naruto looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze, his stomach flipped, his palms started to sweat, and his mouth went dry. Sasuke, on the other hand, simply smirked at him.

"Yes, we'll resume this at a later time," Sasuke said before letting himself be led away by Kakashi.

They were only a few steps away when Sasuke heard the kid say, "Naruto, who was that man?"

Sasuke was pleased that Naruto had been so shaken by his appearance that the kid—Konohamaru, was it?—was already pressing the blond for answers. He felt a small flame of victory alight in him. But that feeling was only there for a moment, any bit of smugness extinguishing as he heard Naruto's answer.

"He's just an old classmate."

If Kakashi hadn't been essentially pushing him out the door, Sasuke might've had half a mind to turn around and kiss that fool in front of everyone—just to prove that he was certainly more than _just an old classmate_ to Naruto. Instead, he pretended as if he hadn't heard Naruto's dismissive words and exited the restaurant.

Seeing Naruto set another flame alight in Sasuke, however. After five years of not seeing one another, Sasuke's feelings for Naruto were as strong as ever. Sure, they'd had a falling out and a relatively messy breakup, but Sasuke never actually wanted to let go of the blond. In the end, it'd been Naruto who'd called it off between them.

So yes, they would most certainly see each other again, especially now that Sasuke knew Naruto was back in the area.

Kakashi opened the back door of the luxury full-size black SUV, and the running board that had been flush underneath the door extended automatically out and down. Sasuke grabbed ahold of the car frame as he stepped up and into the car. The silver-haired man shut the door for him, then climbed to the passenger seat before they pulled out from Copper.

The next thing he'd need to find out, however, was the kid with Naruto. He looked far too old to be Naruto's, but...Sasuke was missing significant knowledge of Naruto's life from the past five years. Sasuke didn't want to make assumption on who Konohamaru was to him.

"Kakashi, see if you can find any information on the child who was with Naruto. And see if you can find Naruto's current address."

"Yes, sir."

. . . . .

It was only when Sasuke had left the restaurant that Naruto lost his cool and slouched back in the booth. He took a few shaky breaths, staring at his hands as if willing them to stop shaking. All the while Konohamaru just stared at the blond man, pressing his cheek on his palm as he propped himself up on the table.

" _Just_ classmates, huh?"

Naruto looked up at Konohamaru and then sighed, "Just classmates, Kono."

"Uh-huh."

"If you're trying to goad me into saying more, it's not working," Naruto said as he frowned.

Konohamaru crossed his arms in front of his chest, puffing out his cheeks. He wanted to know why Naruto was getting his panties in a bunch over that arrogant _asshole_. They were definitely more than just old classmates.

But the kid knew his limits. He wouldn't push Naruto, partly because the man would probably be uber pissed at him, and partly because he actually, in some small part of him, respected Naruto.

"Fine," Konohamaru said, "but don't forget our deal. I want frozen yogurt later!"

The blond man immediately smiled, though he still looked somewhat unsettled, and said, "You need to keep your end of the bargain first."

oooOOooo

The next morning after his unexpected encounter with Sasuke at Copper, the doorbell rang. It was a Saturday, and Naruto was dressed in a pair of dark grey jogger pants, a yellow graphic t-shirt with a design of a stylistically drawn sun in white ink, and a pair of white socks. The blond was completely dressed down since it was his day off, as it was most weekends.

He'd been eating breakfast, and Naruto took one last bite of toast before he headed to the door and looked through the peephole. When he opened the door, a young male, wearing a floral white-and-green baseball cap and a green apron, was holding a clear vase of what looked like a dozen...daisies? Naruto frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, as he moved his gaze from the flowers to the teen's face. He couldn't have been more than 16, maybe 17, and he looked nervous under Naruto's gaze.

"I have a delivery for, uh," the kid stammered as he fished a piece of paper from one of the pockets of his aprons, "a Naruto Uzumaki?"

"I didn't order this," Naruto quickly said, hoping that he would leave with the flowers.

Somehow, the teen looked even more nervous as he adjusted the vase in his hands. Naruto waited patiently for him to recollect himself; he'd felt a little guilty in intimidating the kid.

"It's already been paid for, sir," the kid said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. The only person who ever gave him daisies was Sasuke. The blond sighed at the realization, then took the vase from the delivery kid.

"Okay. Thanks."

When he closed the door behind him, Naruto sighed again, looking at the daisies he now had. It was most definitely Sasuke's doing. He walked over to the table in his living room and placed the daisies on the coffee table. They were certainly a nice touch, livening up the sparse apartment. Naruto put his hands on his hips, wondering what the hell he should do now that Sasuke knew he was back in Konoha.

Naruto had been back since he graduated from Sand University, actually, living at his adoptive father's house for a while as he worked a few internships and temp jobs towards the business analyst side of things. It was something he found he was great at doing, especially given Naruto was naturally an outside-of-the-box thinker able to identify unique opportunities for organizations to achieve whatever goals it set, whether it be operational efficiency, cost efficiency, and so on.

It was only once he'd gotten his current job, however, that Naruto was able to move out of Iruka's house and be on his own. It'd been a year since then, and he was proud that he was as well-off as he was, all things considering.

But when he saw Sasuke last night, it'd been...well, it was definitely a blast from the past that Naruto wasn't at all prepared for. Just remembering the way the other had looked at him so intensely, so alluring, was enough to send shivers up and down Naruto's spine again. It'd been so long since he last saw Sasuke, and yet his body reacted like they were still lovers.

Naruto bit his lip, tearing his gaze away from the flowers as he grabbed his black leather bomber jacket off the back of his couch and wrenched it on him. After he'd grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone from the table by the door, he left the apartment, his mind going a hundred miles a minute.

oooOOooo

Seven days. It had been _seven_ **goddamn** days since Sasuke started sending daisies to Naruto, and the blond idiot had yet to call him. The _nerve_ of some people.

Even when he was young, Sasuke didn't like being ignored. He didn't like being the center of attention—he wasn't a spotlight hog—but when he was so clearly asking for Naruto's attention and _not_ receiving it, well, that pissed him off.

After the third day of nothing but silence from the blond, Sasuke decided to up the ante. He called the florist and told them to start sending _five_ dozen daisies each day until he told them to stop. The florist seemed more than happy to accommodate.

By now, Sasuke knew Naruto was likely drowning in the daisies (all _23 dozen_ of them), and he could only imagine the blond's flustered face every time his doorbell rang. He'd asked the florist to make the deliveries on the weekdays later in the day, more likely when Naruto was home to accept the delivery. Sasuke knew this was probably annoying Naruto, but he knew this would work in getting his full attention.

But Naruto had definitely matured over the years. Sasuke hadn't expected the blond to hold out for as long as he had; he was hoping that Naruto would've called him after only a day or two. Despite how impressive it was, Sasuke was getting frustrated.

Should be up the ante once again? Or he could simply show up at Naruto's place unannounced. Either choice would probably result in a pissed off Naruto, but Sasuke didn't know what other options he had.

Sasuke was in the backseat of a luxury sedan this time, gazing out the window but not looking at anything in particular. He was on his way home after having met with a few new suppliers to potentially replace the subpar ones they currently worked with. It was a long day, to be sure, but it was a normal working day for the brunet.

Just as Kakashi closed the door behind him when they entered the house, Sasuke's phone rang. He noted the unfamiliar number and picked up, moving seamlessly as Kakashi took his coat off and hung it up.

" _ **Asshole**_ _. Are you_ trying _to get me kicked out?"_

At the sound of that deliciously angry voice on the line, Sasuke smirked. He waved a dismissive hand to Kakashi as he cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder, balancing on one leg as he crossed his other ankle on his thigh to untie his shoes.

"About time you called," Sasuke said calmly, switching the phone to his other ear as he untied his other shoe, "I was wondering when I would need to make a personal visit."

The brunet glanced at the clock, noting it was just past 7pm. He was hungry but wanted to change out of his suit, so he slipped on a pair of slippers and headed for his bedroom.

" _Stop sending me flowers."_

Sasuke smirked again. Naruto was oblivious sometimes, but he was certainly smarter than people gave him credit for.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke said, clearly feigning ignorance.

" _Don't be a smartass. Who else would pull desperate shit like this to get my attention?"_

At the insult, the spot above Sasuke's left eyebrow twitched. He knew that they'd parted unhappily, but it was clear that Naruto still held some bitter resentment towards him. However, the last thing he'd do was let Naruto's fiery words faze him.

"Fine, I will admit to the deliveries, but only if you admit that you should have called me sooner so I wouldn't have to resort to other methods."

Naruto sighed audibly on the line. Sasuke had made his way to his room, setting the phone to speakerphone and placing it on his dresser as he shimmied out of his suit jacket and undid his tie. He was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt when Naruto began speaking.

" _What do you want?"_

The shirt came off and was thrown in the dark wick hamper. Sasuke pulled off his white undershirt and threw that in as well.

"I just want to chat—you know, catch up on the past few years."

Silence again. Sasuke looked at his phone to make sure they were still connected. He smirked, realizing that Naruto was likely trying to formulate his response. The brunet unbuckled his belt and slipped out of his black suit pants, making sure they were folded at the proper creases before setting them on his bed. He was now just in his dark grey boxer briefs and black dress socks.

" _You're kidding me."_

"We haven't seen each other in five years. Can't I be curious about how you're doing?" Sasuke asked as he pulled off his dress socks and rummaged through his drawers for a pair of fitted black lounge pants.

The hesitation was clear in Naruto's response, " _I don't know if that's a good idea, Sasuke."_

"This isn't a date, _dobe_. I just want to catch up," Sasuke said, knowing that Naruto had probably bristled at his loathed pet name. He really wanted to see the blond though, so he said, in a much softer tone, "Besides, do you really not want to see me?"

There was a strange sound from Naruto's end, almost sounding like a hybrid of a groan, a sigh, and grumbling. Sasuke waited quietly, having thrown on a white tank top and picking his phone up, setting the speakerphone option off. He lay down on the bed with his phone pressed to his ear.

" _One drink. We'll catch up over_ _ **one**_ _drink, and that's it. Meet me at Black Barrel at 8."_

Sasuke lifted a manicured eyebrow at the suggested bar.

"I didn't know you were the Black Barrel type."

" _Shut it. You better be there on time. I'm not waiting around for your ass to show up."_

Naruto hung up then. Sasuke lifted the phone above him, the electronic hovering above his face precariously. The call had ended, and the screen went black after 30 seconds of inactivity, reflecting a dark image of himself. He let his arm fall onto the bed, the phone bouncing out of his hand. Sasuke _just_ changed, but at the thought of being able to see Naruto again, he willed himself up and rummaged through his wardrobe for a casual outfit.

His blood was rushing through him, and Sasuke was excited at the thought of seeing Naruto once again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So, what'd you think? If you enjoyed this or have anything else to say, please leave me your thoughts. There are lots of juicy events coming up, but I want to know whether it's worth continuing this one based off what you've read so far. Thank you, and have a lovely day!


	2. Hypocrite

**Author's Note:** WOW. Thank you so much for all your positive feedback so far! It looks like this story concept tickles most people's fancies, so we're going to keep on truckin' with this one.

This upcoming chapter is actually one long scene but it jumps right into the mess that is Sasuke and Naruto's relationship. They're both pretty childish but also pretty mature, but I think it's indicative of the type of people they are + how dumb they get when they're around each other.

Hope you guys enjoy! Keep those comments and favorites coming so I know this is still worth working on. :)

* * *

Sasuke braced himself for the body heat and heightened noise level when he walked down the stairs from the entrance and into Black Barrel at 7:55pm. Shortly after their call to meet here, Sasuke pulled on a pair of black jeans, black boots, and a soft heather grey v-neck t-shirt, layered with a dark grey cashmere cardigan. He shrugged off his black peacoat, hanging it from his arm as he made his way through the bar.

Despite all the light fixtures, with the ceiling lamps, hanging LED lights, and neon signs—not to mention the lighting from the liquor shelves—the place was dimly lit. The brunet looked around the place, taking extra time to seek Naruto. It didn't take long, however, and soon he was sauntering up to the blond, who was seated at one of the small round tables in the midst of the crowds.

"Hey," Sasuke said as he draped himself over the back of Naruto's chair, dropping himself close enough for Naruto to hear.

The blond turned his head so fast to look at him that Sasuke would've laughed if he weren't so focused on appreciating the man before him. Naruto was wearing a pair of dark blue bootcut jeans, a plain grey fitted hooded sweatshirt (the sleeves having been pushed up to his elbows), and a pair of brown casual loafers. His outfit screamed casual, but Naruto looked _good_ , especially with that slight flush of pink on his skin.

"Hey," Naruto returned after composing himself, "I got you their house whiskey. Neat."

Naruto was nursing a bottle of beer himself, seeming to have taken only a few sips thus far. Sasuke sat down in the seat across from Naruto, giving the blond a quick thanks as he took a small mouthful of the whiskey, letting it sit in his mouth for a moment before he swallowed. The liquid burned as it went down, forcing Sasuke to let out a small breath as he set his glass down.

"That's acrid," Sasuke said as he stared at the content of his glass.

"That's three dollar whiskey for you," Naruto replied before taking a swig of his beer.

They sat quietly, with Naruto drinking his beer while Sasuke swirled his whiskey. Even with the sounds of the bar around them, there was still an awkward silence between them. Sasuke was actually horrible with small talk, and given his profession, he wasn't the type to beat around the bush. He wasn't sure how to start up a conversation like this.

Naruto stared at his beer, tilting the bottle at a forty-five degree angle as he spoke, "So...how have you been?"

"Fine. I, uh," Sasuke paused and frowned, "How about you? What have you been up to?"

He didn't think he could elaborate on how he'd been without revealing something about the business and getting Naruto pissed off. Naruto seemed to notice, and he sighed.

"Graduated from Sand, moved back to Iruka's for a while. I got some internships and temp jobs, then found my current job. Moved into my own place about a year ago."

Sasuke frowned.

"So you've been in Konoha for two years now?"

He was surprised to hear that Naruto had been around for so long already. Sasuke half-hoped the blond would have tried to get in contact with him, but he was more likely to run into him somewhere in Konoha. Though their small city was sizeable, people were apt to run into each other. And if not directly, then at least by way of friends, neighbors, or relatives. Then again, Naruto's only roots in Konoha were with Iruka.

But the tone Sasuke took must've rubbed Naruto the wrong way, because the blond frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he took another swig of his beer.

"Yeah, probably closer to two and a half at this point," Naruto said, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Sasuke, but we were hardly on friendly terms when we parted. Hell, I don't even know if we're even on friendly terms now. Looking you up was hardly my first priority when I came back."

Sasuke sighed and took another mouthful of that godawful whiskey to stave off his nervousness.

"I'm not saying you should have, but—"

"Then what _are_ you saying?" Naruto followed up immediately, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

The conversation was spiraling towards a direction that Sasuke didn't like. He should have known Naruto was going to be defensive all through this. Sasuke would have to be careful about what he talked about as well as how he talked.

"Naruto, I'm not trying to be difficult. It's just been...it's been _so long_ since we last saw each other. I just wanted to know what's happened with you the past five years."

At Sasuke's words, the blond left his empty beer bottle in the middle of the table as he folded in on himself, arms crossed and his hands grasping his upper arms. He didn't look up at Sasuke, instead focusing his gaze on the table. Naruto suddenly looked very tired, a frown marring his face.

"I'm going to get another drink. Do you want anything else other than that lighter fluid?" Naruto said as he got up, clearly trying to avoid heavier topics and emotions.

Sasuke allowed it—for now. But he lifted an eyebrow at the offer.

"I thought our limit was one drink."

Naruto rolled his eyes and replied, "Do you want another drink, or not?"

Sasuke felt a small relief flicker in him. The blond wasn't sick of him yet. That was a good sign, right?

"A beer's good."

Sasuke watched as Naruto pushed his way through the crowd to the bar. As the blond waited to catch one of the bartender's attention, Sasuke noticed quite a few people try to sidle up to Naruto for a chat. Sasuke couldn't help himself as he gripped his glass tightly, his jaw clenching. But with every attempt, Naruto would smile sheepishly and shake his head, and Sasuke would feel a small flash of relief.

But Sasuke was alone now too, and he was just as immune to strangers picking him up as Naruto had been. A few people, men and women, approached him with what in normal circumstances would be tantalizing offers, but Sasuke turned each down without a thought.

Just as Naruto returned with two beer bottles and two shot glasses, Sasuke was shooing away a curvy woman who'd kindly offered her _assets_ for the night.

"Glad to see your fanclub's still alive and kicking," Naruto said as he set one beer and one shot glass in front of Sasuke.

"Glad to see your fanclub is finally starting up," Sasuke retorted.

The blond smiled, and Sasuke felt a little more at ease as the mood lightened up. Naruto grabbed his shot glass and held it up to Sasuke, waiting for the brunet to raise his own. Only then did Sasuke fully realize that Naruto had bought them a round of shots, and he looked at the clear alcohol in wariness.

"Let's do it the way we used to back in senior year," Naruto said, grinning.

They clinked their glasses together and downed the vodka in one go. It burned immediately as it traveled up Sasuke's nasal cavity and down his throat. He coughed and hacked into the crook of his elbow.

"Ask them for a refund. This _has_ to be lighter fluid. Or jet fuel," Sasuke could barely manage to choke out.

He chased that godawful vodka with a long drink from his beer. When Sasuke resurfaced, Naruto was leaning back in his chair unperturbed, calmly sipping from his beer.

"Don't be such a baby. We can't all afford fancy pants alcohol that goes down smooth _and_ wipes your ass all in one go."

"That doesn't even make any sense, dumbass," Sasuke said, his throat still burning.

"And you can't hang with me, _teme_ ," Naruto retorted with a glint in his eye.

Sasuke didn't know what to think about the blond's playfulness. Wasn't he the one hesitating about meeting in the first place? They were supposed to catch up over one drink. Why the sudden change of heart?

But Sasuke decided it was better to stop thinking too hard about it and just enjoy the blond's company while he had it. He abruptly got up from his seat and squeezed his way to the bar to ask for two shots of silver tequila, not even noticing any of the appreciative eyes following him. When Sasuke placed one shot glass each in front of him and Naruto, it was the blond's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Tequila," Sasuke responded curtly, sitting back down in his seat, "Let's **hang** , _dobe_."

Naruto hesitated, clearly looking like he was regretting having provoked Sasuke. The blond wordlessly lifted his shot glass to Sasuke's own raised one. They clinked their glasses and knocked back the clear liquid, both immediately chugging their beers to chase down the bitter burn.

Sasuke kept his face as emotionless as possible, with every muscle in his face fighting back the grimace that was threatening to form. Naruto, on the other hand, allowed his face to contort, and he stuck his tongue out as if willing the taste to evaporate out of his mouth.

"Three dollar tequila," Sasuke said mockingly, mirroring Naruto's earlier words.

After that, fortunately, they fell into an easy conversation. They spoke about their high school friends and what they were up to, which kept the focus away from either of them. It was a relatively safe topic. And then they reminisced about high school in general—those memorable moments when Naruto would prank someone in class, the lazy summers that they'd spend when either family would go on vacation, and even those godawful, dumb house parties their friends threw that they frequently attended together.

They took turns refilling their beers as the night went on. With the help of alcohol, both Sasuke and Naruto felt themselves falling into comforting familiarity. It was like turning the dial back for a moment as they went down memory lane together, the nostalgia for simpler times easing the pain that they had endured the past five years apart.

Sasuke didn't exactly remember how the conversation had veered as it did, but Naruto was animatedly recalling a moment at Sakura's house when they'd played beer pong, except with vodka. Sasuke wasn't sure if he was just really drunk, but the blond seemed to _glow_ as he spoke. Naruto was grinning, ear to ear, his face slightly flush from the heat of the place.

Something in Sasuke sparked.

The brunet focused intensely on Naruto, watching as the blond's grin started to flatten out as Sasuke pressed forward. Naruto opened his mouth, his lips looking particularly delectable as Sasuke paused in his advance, only having realized he'd moved so close to the other. Throughout the night they had gradually moved their stools from the other sides of the round table to meet one another towards the middle, due to the increasing volume around them. They were now nearly next to each other, only separated by maybe half a stool's width.

Sasuke could feel Naruto's warm breath on his lips, and they looked at one another for a moment.

"Naruto," Sasuke said softly, his eyes looking deep into blue ones.

When a warm, tanned hand grabbed Sasuke's pale one, their gazes when downward to look at their interlocking fingers.

"Let's go. My place is nearby," Naruto said, his eyes darkening with an expression that Sasuke sorely missed.

They let go of one another to stand and get their coats on. Sasuke wordlessly followed after the blond as they ascended the stairs, feeling the heat and volume die down as they exited Black Barrel. Naruto only shot a glance over his shoulder at Sasuke before proceeding down the street. They walked side by side, hands in their jacket pockets, occasionally bumping into one another.

Naruto's place wasn't far at all; it was only a quick five-minute walk for the two of them. The brick exterior of the apartment building was barely illuminated by a fluorescent street lamp. Sasuke waited at the bottom of the steps as Naruto unlocked the front door of the building.

"Well?" Naruto asked as he turned.

For a frustrating moment, Sasuke hesitated. They were both pretty tipsy, which didn't help matters when it came to thinking clearly. Sasuke wanted Naruto; he _definitely_ missed having the blond on his bed under his mercy, and vice versa, but was this the right thing to do? And he didn't want to misread the situation, but Sasuke couldn't deny the magnetic attraction in the bar. The way Naruto had reacted to him at the bar, then the sultry look he was giving him now—it was an invitation for them to at least spend the night together...right?

The blond sensed Sasuke's hesitation, but instead of coaxing him one way or another, he simply stared at Sasuke for a few moments longer before pushing the front door open and letting it shut behind him. Sasuke dashed up the stairs, not even fully realizing that he had essentially thrown himself into the building.

Sasuke flushed in embarrassment; he'd had an abnormal amount of control over himself and never even so much as tripped in the past five years. He was a _mafia boss_ , for fuck's sake. The brunet recomposed himself and focused on Naruto again.

But one look at the blond, and his mind turned to mush. Naruto was _gorgeous_. His smile was just as wide and bright as ever, and his jacket was unzipped, revealing that form-fitting sweatshirt which was perhaps a little too helpful in helping Sasuke imagine what he looked like underneath it.

When they entered the elevator car together, Sasuke tried his luck and pressed himself up against that tanned, lean body. But he received a shove on his chest in return, and the brunet stumbled backwards slightly. Sasuke scowled at the rejection but was abated when Naruto grabbed his hand to pull him out the elevator onto the fifth floor.

Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand when they arrived at apartment 5-C, which was one of six apartments on the floor. As soon as the door unlocked, Naruto dragged Sasuke into his apartment and shoved the door shut before he pushed Sasuke right up against it. The brunet let out a grunt, the sudden impact having knocked the wind out of him.

Immediately taking advantage of his winded state, Naruto leaned in, grabbed the front of Sasuke's peacoat, and pressed their lips together. Sasuke inhaled sharply through his nose, having only barely recuperated from being knocked into the door.

Every heady sensation from the blond kissing Sasuke brought back a wild onslaught of vivid memories. The way Naruto tasted, the way he smelled, the way he reacted when touched in just the right way...all of it came rushing back in wave after wave of nostalgia.

" _Fuck_ , I missed you," Sasuke groaned as he kissed Naruto's neck gently, nipping at the tanned skin here and there.

Naruto pulled back, his hand going to Sasuke's chest as he put his index finger up to Sasuke's lips and shushed him.

"None of that," the blond growled.

Even if Sasuke wanted to argue his point, Naruto wouldn't let him; he pressed forward again and reached down to palm Sasuke's growing erection. Sasuke grasped at Naruto's forearms, the fabric of the other's bomber jacket clenched in his hands tightly.

"I- _ungh_ — _fuck_ ," Sasuke hissed unintelligibly, throwing his head to the side and shutting his eyes.

It was an overwhelming feeling being dominated by Naruto, but Sasuke had missed the sensations and the way their bodies fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces. He tried to refocus himself, not wanting to be outdone by Naruto, and undid the button and zipper of Naruto's jeans before pulling them down to his thighs. Sasuke eyed the sizeable tent of the solid royal blue boxers that Naruto wore, but he only had a moment to appreciate it before Naruto slid down to his knees.

Sasuke watched, stunned, as the blond undid his jeans and pulled them down to his thighs as well. When those alluring, _hungry_ , blue eyes looked up at him, Sasuke let out a shaky breath.

It had been way too long since they last looked at each other like this.

Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke's now-hardened member, and he slipped it through the slit of Sasuke's dark grey boxer briefs. The pale man let out a soft breath, trying to keep composure, as the blond curled his fingers around the base of Sasuke's cock and pumped his hand slowly a few times.

The pressure had already been building in Sasuke's groin, but now with Naruto's touch added in the mix, Sasuke wasn't sure how long he'd last. His knees were bent, threatening to buckle underneath him as Sasuke pressed back against the door, his left hand grappling the doorknob.

"Fuck, Naru, I'm gonna—"

Naruto stilled his hand and looked up, his eyes still as alluring as ever as he stared into Sasuke's eyes. Sparks lit up between them, with Sasuke doing his best to keep from coming too soon.

"I'd give you head," Naruto said as he looked to be sobering up a bit, "But I don't know if you're clean."

Talk about a mood killer. But Naruto's concern was valid.

Since they parted, Sasuke for sure hadn't kept abstinent; he'd had his fair share of sexual partners, but he always made sure to keep to one partner at a time, for months at a time. The last time he'd seen Suigetsu was probably two weeks ago, and he had been planning to break things off after the next time they met up.

But it wasn't as if he had asked his partners to remain monogamous for the duration of whatever relationship they had. The rule to keep to one partner at a time was something he set for himself, to practice his self-discipline and to keep his emotions in check.

"I can make do with fucking you," Sasuke said as he pulled Naruto up from his kneeling position, grabbing at the other's ass.

Sasuke latched onto Naruto's neck and started to suck, but Naruto pulled back enough to separate them.

"No marks," Naruto growled, his hand making its way down to curl around Sasuke's cock again.

Sasuke nodded, wanting to quickly resume their activities as soon as possible. When Naruto finally gave in and granted Sasuke access again, the pale man pulled Naruto's jeans and boxers down even further, letting them drop to the floor, pooling around Naruto's ankles.

Naruto stepped back from Sasuke for a moment, using him as support as he toed off his shoes, pants, _and_ boxers, kicking them aside. Sasuke watched in lust at the revealed, engorged member, standing straight at attention. Naruto then took off his bomber jacket and reached for the hem of his sweatshirt before lifting it up off him, his black t-shirt coming off in the process. As he stripped, Sasuke just stared.

The crystal necklace Sasuke had bought Naruto when they were in high school still hung from the blond man's neck.

"Strip," Naruto demanded, either not having noticed why Sasuke was staring or was actively choosing to ignore it.

Sasuke took off his peacoat, his eyes still trained on Naruto's naked form and glancing every so often at the crystal. When he reached down to untie his boots, Naruto kneeled down in front of him and took over, freeing up Sasuke to remove his grey v-neck tee. Naruto took the liberty to also pull Sasuke's jeans off after he removed his boots, leaving him in just his dark grey boxer briefs, his cock still poking out from them.

The look in Naruto's eye was unmistakable as Naruto looked him over. With lust, there was a mix of forlorn loneliness and yearning in his expression, and Sasuke's heart wrenched.

But the moment passed fairly quickly, and Naruto was already pulling Sasuke to the bedroom, where he pushed the brunet onto the bed back-first. Sasuke bounced onto the mattress, watching as Naruto climbed over him on the bed.

"Despite what you think," Naruto said as he sat back on his calves, " _I'm_ going to be fucking _you_ tonight."

Sasuke shivered at the lust laced in Naruto's voice, but he had already made up his mind in making sure Naruto was at his mercy tonight. Naruto narrowed his eyes, noticing the cogs working in Sasuke's brain, then squeezed his legs tight around Sasuke's hips and grabbed at pale wrists to pin them down on the bed.

This was not exactly panning out the way he hoped, but Sasuke could feel his body betray his mind as his cock twitched at the show of dominance. He would acquiesce, for now.

"Then _fuck me_ ," Sasuke goaded.

Naruto's gaze intensified. He let go of Sasuke's wrists temporarily and shimmied above the pale body so that he could reach his nightstand. Sasuke licked his lips as he watched Naruto's cock waving above him, dripping with precum. He just needed to crane his head up _ever so slightly_ to capture the head in his mouth…

But Naruto was already back, straddling over Sasuke's chest with a condom and lube in hand. Naruto sat back on his calves again and stroked himself lazily as his eyes roamed Sasuke. He then ripped open the condom wrapper and rolled the latex onto his cock. Naruto didn't miss the smirk that Sasuke was fighting.

"If I trusted you more, I'd wait until after I prepped you to do this," Naruto explained, his voice gruff.

Just like that, any trace of arrogance was sucked out of Sasuke. The pale man looked annoyed, but Naruto didn't give any acknowledgement of it. Instead, he popped the cap of lube and squirted some into his hand. Naruto grabbed his cock and spread it over himself, then reached down to Sasuke and pressed his slickened index finger against Sasuke's puckered entrance.

Sasuke let out a growl, trying to squash any semblance of hurt from Naruto's distrust, "Just get on with it."

Naruto heeded his words, pushing his finger into Sasuke. The pale man groaned at the intrusion, and he let out a deeper moan when a second finger stretched him out further. At least for now, they would indulge in one another.

After a few minutes of being stretched out, Sasuke began pushing himself onto the intruding fingers, fucking himself harder and deeper. He was egged on by Naruto's soft string of curses and continued to move his body. He groaned when Naruto removed his fingers but hissed when Naruto pressed himself into Sasuke without much warning.

Sasuke hadn't bottomed in...at least three years. Given his and Naruto's relationship, they switched roles often, relinquishing control whenever the mood struck. After their breakup, Sasuke went through what he recognized was a masochistic streak, bedding particularly aggressive partners, male and female. None of them actually _hurt_ him; rather, they were aggressive in how often they initiated sex, and most of them acted out on their fetishes, with Sasuke a willing partner in everything from hardcore bondage to pegging to even choking. As little as the tough mafia boss wanted to admit, each of his partners during that period in his life saw slivers of a broken, vulnerable man.

But as time went on, Sasuke was able to get his emotions in line. His masochistic streak eventually fizzled out, and he chose to engage in more "vanilla" relations, regaining control in being the dominant one. Sasuke stopped bottoming, and he chose to engage only in straight-up sex, though he had been tending towards men as of late; before Suigetsu, he'd had two male partners.

As Naruto's familiar, thick length pushed its way into his ass, Sasuke focused on the sensation of being filled. The pain was minimal from Naruto's preparation, but it was still there. He imagined the way his insides were conforming to Naruto's cock, and Sasuke felt himself clench at the thought. Naruto hissed at the sudden increase in pressure and his cock pulsed in an aching, delicious way.

" _Fuck_ ," was all Naruto could manage when he was fully sheathed in Sasuke.

The brunet fisted the sheets beneath him and looked up, reveling in the other's expression. Naruto had shut his eyes, his face flushed with exertion. Seeing this part of Naruto so exposed, so vulnerable, so _familiar_ , hit Sasuke hard. He released a shuddering breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Sasuke took the liberty of moving his body, grinding himself against Naruto's pelvis. With every movement, Naruto's cock brushed up against his prostate, and Sasuke had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep from losing control. At one particularly delicious bit of friction, he turned his head to the side and let out a guttural moan.

Then Naruto pressed his hand against Sasuke's cheek to turn to face him. The blond captured his lips, and Sasuke willingly melted against the other, parting his lips to Naruto's tongue. With Sasuke's participation, their tongues met in a slick battle, sliding and pressing against one another.

As they kissed deeply, fiercely, Naruto began to undulate his hips. His long, hard, thick cock moved in and out of Sasuke's asshole, repeatedly brushing against Sasuke's prostate and causing the pale man to writhe and moan in pleasure.

Then his hips moved faster and harder, only to be met with equal force and speed as Sasuke moved with him. Their skin slapped together in violence, Sasuke's thighs and ass tinted a deep pink from the repeated contact.

"Ah, fuck, I'm getting close, Naruto," Sasuke said, voice straining.

In response, Naruto just increased the speed of his thrusting, sending wracking waves of pleasure crashing over Sasuke over and over and over again. Sasuke held back as long as he could, but he could feel the pressure in him building, like a rope being pulled taut. He gripped his cock and pumped it in fervor.

"I—I'm coming—Naruto— _fuck_!"

In that moment, the pressure that had compounded in his body released, and Sasuke felt his body convulse as his body pumped streams of cum. His ass clenched around Naruto's cock, and he felt particularly full, felt all the pleasurable sensations of Naruto pounding into him magnify by tenfold. He'd come between them, some of it coating Naruto's abdomen but most of it having landed on Sasuke. By that point, Sasuke's body felt warm from the afterglow, and he watched in a daze as Naruto came soon after him.

"Fuck," the blond hissed as he buried himself deep into Sasuke's ass.

Sasuke was still in trying to focus, but he felt elated at being able to watch Naruto orgasm as beautifully as he did. It had been five years, but the tanned man's beauty in that moment of bliss hadn't changed.

Naruto was breathing hard, still connected to Sasuke as he took a moment for himself. When he pulled out, he winced at the change in pressure. Sasuke let out a sigh in contentment when Naruto lay down on the bed next to him after disposing of the soiled condom. He reached for tissues on the side table and wiped himself off lazily.

They lay side by side, neither speaking a word as if desperate to keep from shattering the delicate facade that everything was well. Sasuke looked over to Naruto, whose eyes were closed. He reached out and ran his fingers through his hair, causing the blond to tense up for a moment before he gave in to the petting.

"I missed you," Sasuke said quietly, his voice still slightly rough.

Naruto didn't say much of anything, though he tensed ever so slightly at Sasuke's words. Because Sasuke wasn't normally one for words, his admission (which happened twice already today) had to be taken seriously. Naruto knew Sasuke too well to misinterpret his intentions, and the brunet took every advantage he could of that fact to make sure the other understood.

Even so, Naruto would, unsurprisingly, fight him.

"Don't ignore me," Sasuke growled, his fingers grabbing at blond tresses.

If Sasuke didn't know Naruto the way he did, he might have interpreted the blue side glance shot his way as somewhat dismissive. But he knew better; Naruto was, for whatever reason, afraid to have this conversation. The angry grip Sasuke had on Naruto loosened, if just in sympathy for the other.

The blond shut his eyes, sighing as he did so.

"I know what I—what _we_ —did tonight, and I don't regret it. But we can't go back to the way things were before, Sasuke. We can't...bring _feelings_ into this," Naruto said as he shook his head, his eyes opening as he reluctantly moved his gaze up to meet Sasuke's.

Sasuke frowned at Naruto's words. He agreed with him, but it wasn't something he expected coming out of the other's mouth. Naruto had certainly matured since they were together. The thought was bittersweet, because Sasuke felt he was at fault for forcing the other to mature, to face the harsh realities of life. Before their breakup, they had had a mostly sweet relationship that seemed like it would last forever.

But that was then, and this was now. Sasuke had to worry about what Naruto was trying to get across.

"So—what, then? We part from this and pretend this never happened? You know I can't do that, Naruto. You still mean too much to me," Sasuke said, trying to throw weight into his words.

Naruto sighed and sat up on the bed, crossing his legs. Sasuke stared at his back, waiting patiently for an answer.

"I don't know what else we can do," Naruto said, his back still to Sasuke and shaking his head again, "If you're telling the truth, that I'm still important to you, then I'm just a vulnerability to you. I—I don't think I can handle the risks."

Something in Sasuke snapped at Naruto's words. The blond was _seriously_ worried about becoming a weak spot for Sasuke? He had to hold back the scoff that threatened to break out.

"Are you serious?" Sasuke asked, his temper flaring as he sat up on the bed, his back to the headboard, "Your _employer_ is a dangerous man with a dangerous career."

When Sasuke had Kakashi dig up some intel on Naruto, he learned that the blond was a caretaker for Danzo's adoptive kid. Oh, and who was Danzo? Just the _most dangerous_ mob boss after the Uchihas. Naruto couldn't be so stupid that he was ignorant of what his boss was. And yet, here he was, refusing a relationship with him because he was part of the family business.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke, his eyes narrowed in anger. The tension in the room spiked to uncomfortable levels, and Naruto and Sasuke glared at one another, the post-coital peace shattering.

"I see you did your homework," Naruto spat, though he averted his eyes from Sasuke's scrutinizing gaze.

"Naruto, what are you thinking?" Sasuke asked, only just able to contain his disbelief, "Danzo is an extremely dangerous man—"

"Like you?"

Naruto was scowling now, his gaze coming back to meet Sasuke's. But Sasuke wasn't going to back down. He was going to say his piece to hopefully shake Naruto awake from how reckless and _stupid_ the blond was being.

"Better that you associate with me, the man you grew up with—the man who would _die_ for you!"

The blond sprang up from the bed, clenching his right hand into a fist. Sasuke had only seen that fury on his face once before, when he walked out of his life five years ago. But instead of just letting the situation be and leaving it all behind him like he did then, Naruto released what Sasuke could only describe as a torrential storm of emotion.

"Don't you fucking _dare_ ," Naruto seethed, "You broke your promise to me, Sasuke. We were going to have a life together. You were supposed to go to Sound and get your Bachelor's in Public Policy. I was supposed to watch you at graduation, and you were supposed to watch me at mine.

"But none of that fucking happened! _You_ fucking **lied** to me, Sasuke. You **lied** to me through your fucking teeth, and you thought you even had me fooled. The day I left you in your office, I felt like I barely knew you. And now, five years later, you're going to try to tell me what's fucking safe for me? As if you know what's best for me? FUCK. YOU."

The last two words boomed loudly in the room, and the unsettling quiet that sat in the room left Sasuke and Naruto staring at one another angrily. Sasuke clenched his fists. He was angry, and despite having tried to reconcile his feelings from years ago, Sasuke still couldn't keep himself in control when it came to Naruto. Hence, his lack of filter for the next words that came out of his mouth:

"I know what I promised you, and I regret never having told you before I broke my promise. But if I didn't know any better, Naruto, I'd think you're a hypocrite."

The expression on Naruto's face became fiercer at the words.

" _ **Excuse**_ **me?** "

"You're a fucking hypocrite," Sasuke growled, standing up from the bed and making his way to Naruto, "You walk away from me because of what I've become, and five years later, you're working for a man who's more experienced than I am in the business. If that's not hypocrisy, then I'm a fucking upstanding citizen in your book."

Sasuke wasn't angry at Naruto; he was angry at himself for being the conniving idiot who snuck around, trying to pretend everything was fine when in reality everything was crumbling. But he was scared of feeling the vulnerability that had nearly ripped him apart years ago. He needed to steel himself against the emotions that threatened to surface once again.

Sasuke couldn't go back to that version of himself, not when he had an image to uphold. He'd lose all credibility with his rivals as well as business partners if any of them got a whiff of weakness from him. The only emotion he was to allow himself to feel was anger. Anything else was supposed to revert to apathy.

Naruto scoffed, though he seemed to have calmed down significantly from his earlier explosion, "I couldn't care less what happens to that dick Danzo. It's Konohamaru I'm worried about. He's in a pretty fucked up situation, and I don't want him to get caught up in all this fucked up _family business_ shit like you did."

It was Sasuke's turn to scoff.

"So—what? You're putting yourself in danger for this kid? Why are you doing this, anyway? Is it because you feel guilty you couldn't help me?"

As soon as those words, so unintentionally laced with poison, left his mouth, Sasuke regretted it. But he trained his expression to something neutral, to something more in control.

His words clearly stung the other. Naruto just stared at him, mouth agape and his wide, blue eyes beginning to glass over from tears that were threatening to leak. His lips quivered, but his expression changed from surprised to furious, his eyebrows knitting together as he frowned heavily.

"Yeah, because everything's about you. You're so fucking self-absorbed, Sasuke," Naruto said as he left the room.

Sasuke let out a shaky breath when Naruto left, and he rubbed his face tiredly with one hand while the other perched on his hip. He felt like the biggest dumbass, but no matter what he would try to say now to abate the hostility between them, he knew it would be in vain.

When the blond returned to the room, he was dressed in his blue boxers and black t-shirt and threw Sasuke his clothes.

"Get the fuck out of my apartment. Now."

Before Sasuke could even try to squeeze a word in, Naruto turned on his heel and left the room again. As Sasuke put his clothes on, he could hear the blond clanging loudly in the kitchen.

Naruto didn't even look at him when Sasuke made his way through the apartment to the front door. He looked around for a moment, trying to take in as much of the place before he was banished from it.

Sasuke tried not to make it too obvious how pleased he was to see the dozen of daisies, each in their own vase, spread throughout the apartment. At least from where he was, Sasuke could see that five sat on the coffee table in a line, three sat in each of the two window sills, two flanked the kitchen sink, three set on the dining room/kitchen table. The other seven were likely spread in the bathroom and bedroom.

The brunet slipped into his boots and grabbed his peacoat that had been hung up on the hook by the door. Sasuke made note of it but didn't say a word, only leaving the apartment and shutting the door softly behind him.

Sasuke was in a bit of a daze the entire way home, his mind blank. He was hardly aware of pulling up to the Uchiha estate in his suave charcoal sportscar, hardly aware of dragging himself into the house and up to his bedroom, hardly aware of falling onto his bed.

He wanted nothing more than to curl up into bed and sleep it all away, but his mind, after his body ceased to move, was going miles a minute.

What shit had he dug himself into this time? Sasuke knew he royally fucked up his chance to reignite even a civil friendship with Naruto. He'd been excited at the possibility of Naruto returning to his life and he just as quickly crushed that chance.

Now, all he had left were the smoldering remnants of a lost opportunity.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm going to try to keep the publishing schedule at once a week, every Saturday or so, until I say otherwise. I've got quite a bit of time on my plate now, so setting consistent updates is more practice for me to keep writing. If there's any known delays with a chapter, I'll try to let you guys know the week before.

See you next week!


	3. Apologies

**Author's Notes:** Hello again, loves. This chapter will show there's a bit of back-and-forth between our two protagonists, and it's going to be very frustrating that they're dancing around as they are. Before you get mad at either of them, remember that they're both knuckleheads who are trying to grapple with their values and emotions. Naruto and Sasuke are operating within their own moral grey areas, and it's not my intent to lay out who was definitively in the wrong; objectively, neither can be considered morally better than the other.

On a personal note, I've been feeling rather under the weather lately; the weather's been freezing and I've been handling some relationship problems. You know, the works. Leave me comments to cheer me up? Thanks, loves. Hope you enjoy this week's update.

* * *

Every time Naruto's phone rang and that bastard's name showed up on caller ID, he ignored the call and let it continue ringing. This day was no different.

"God damn it, leave me alone," Naruto muttered, scrubbing at the plate in his hands a little too hard.

The past few weeks since his encounter with Sasuke had been rocky; just the day after Naruto kicked Sasuke out of his apartment, Naruto received a single daisy at his door. No one rang or knocked, so the blond had stepped on the daisy on his way out to the grocery store, crushing the poor flower into the wood floor of the hallway. Then that night he received a call from Sasuke. Naruto was still too angry with the other to bother picking up the call.

Every day after that, without fail, a single daisy was left in front of his door and Sasuke would call him in the evening. No matter whether it was a weekday or weekend, the delivery was made before Naruto left his apartment for the day and a call made some time in the evening.

After a few days of those single-daisy deliveries, Naruto angrily began to remove the vases of daisies, a dozen at a time, out of his apartment. He didn't really know anyone else in the building very well, so he simply set one vase outside each of his neighbor's doors on the fifth floor. Saving two vases for his coffee table, Naruto put the rest on the first floor by the elevator.

When the single daisies showed up at his door, he simply added each to the vases where it would fit and left it at that. But Naruto was a little angry at himself for keeping daisies in his own apartment; they were both comforting and annoying, not dissimilar to how Sasuke made him feel.

He knew Sasuke's persistence was affecting him more than he wanted to admit. When Naruto would meet Konohamaru in the mornings, the kid would do his damned best to cheer him up. While he ultimately appreciated the effort, it wasn't what the blond needed to get himself out of his slump. More than anything else, he needed to have a real conversation with Sasuke so that he could get closure, or at least find some compromise so that Naruto could put a stop to the other's ridiculous antics to garner his attention.

After Naruto had finished with the dishes, he picked up his phone and sighed as he looked through his call log. Aside from the occasional call from Iruka and Konohamaru, all his calls from the past few weeks were from Sasuke.

The biggest surprise from it all was the fact that Sasuke was persistent in getting them to talk. He understood that they'd both matured, but this was definitely something new to Naruto; Sasuke was never the one to pursue. When they had an argument, or when any type of conflict arose, Sasuke was always the one to stand his ground and wait until the other party came to him. He'd since proved that he'd grown, at least from what Naruto could tell, from the prideful, arrogant youth he was.

But simply being more mature didn't fix things. And they'd slept with each other, sure, but Naruto had been hurt so deeply that a quick fucking would hardly count as making up. It would take considerable efforts from both of them them to reconcile any semblance of friendship.

Naruto sighed again, turning his phone's screen off before he slumped down on the couch and turned on the television. He casually surfed the channels and finally settled on the cooking channel, but his mind was hardly taking in the content of the show.

If they were going to make amends, Naruto knew they'd have to get to talking eventually. But what Sasuke had said stung him.

 _You're putting yourself in danger for this kid? Why are you doing this, anyway? Is it because you feel guilty you couldn't help me?_

Yes, Naruto admitted to himself, rather angrily mind you, that he _did_ feel guilty about Sasuke going down the wrong path. But that guilt was only marginally related to his self-imposed responsibility to Konohamaru. He'd become attached to the kid and felt like his older brother. That attachment alone was more than enough reason for Naruto to stick around his dangerous employer. And if Sasuke was _jealous_ that that was the case, well, then, screw him.

Naruto nodded to himself, feeling his resolve strengthen as he thought about keeping Konohamaru safe. No one would stand in his way to keep the kid safe, not even Sasuke.

oooOOooo

"PEMDAS," Naruto said, tapping his finger on number three on Konohamaru's worksheet, "Do this one again."

Konohamaru groaned and gripped his head, dropping his pencil onto his desk.

They were in the study, with Konohamaru sitting at the desk pushed flush against the wall and Naruto standing above him. When Konohamaru started to erase his work to try again, Naruto gave him his space and walked over to one of the wall bookcases to peruse the books there. He picked up a beautifully leather-bound version of _Vanity Fair_ by Thackeray and thumbed through it; he'd only remembered bits and pieces of it from an English class back in college, but Naruto had long since forgotten the beast of a book.

"Naruto?"

The blond shut the book and looked over at Konohamaru, who was turned in his chair looking at him. He seemed to be fidgeting in his seat, though Naruto only raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did you redo number three?"

Konohamaru shook his head, but before Naruto could tell him to get back to work, he asked, "Will you ever tell me who Sasuke is?"

Those bright, brown eyes looked at him curiously. Naruto hadn't been expecting the topic to be brought back up this long after they met Sasuke at Copper. He put the hefty book back on the bookshelf and turned back to face Konohamaru, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No," Naruto said flatly, wanting to end the conversation right then and there.

The last thing he wanted at that moment was to talk to a kid about his problems with an ex. Besides, the less Konohamaru knew about him, the better. Though he wanted to keep Konohamaru safe and looked at him like a younger brother, it was exactly that sentiment that kept him from revealing too much about himself.

"Aw, come on. You clearly knew him. Why won't you tell me who is really is?"

Naruto walked over to Konohamaru and ruffled his hair roughly.

"It's none of your business."

"But he mattered to you at _one point_ , right? I saw the way he looked at you," Konohamaru said slyly, trying to catch Naruto off-guard.

If he hadn't expected this line of questioning from the kid, Naruto just might have tripped up and stumbled over his words. But he had more than enough years of experience over Konohamaru to deflect it easily.

"Okay, smartass, get back to work on that pre-algebra. If you want to join your class on tomorrow's field trip, you need to get all your homework done."

Konohamaru huffed, giving up and turning back to his work immediately. The blond sighed inaudibly, rubbing his face tiredly with his hands.

. . . . .

Naruto knocked on the light oak wood door, opening it when he heard the affirmed beckoning. When he stepped inside Danzo's home office, he took only a few steps in and waited, clasping his hands in front of him as he stood upright at attention. Naruto had been called in by one of Danzo's men after he'd finished up tutoring Konohamaru. Though he had no idea why he was summoned, the blond couldn't help but imagining up a thousand things he'd done wrong to piss off the man.

After a few moments of silence, the blond finally gathered himself and spoke up, "Sir?"

Danzo looked up from his desk and closed the manila folder, gesturing that Naruto take a seat in one of the leather armchairs in front of his desk. When Naruto sat down, the blond fidgeted somewhat nervously. He hoped it wasn't related to his outfit, which he had picked out in a hurry after having overslept; he was wearing business casual today—a white button-down with navy slacks, a light blue solid tie, with black dress socks and brown loafers. Not his best outfit, but he looked decent...right?

"Naruto, how have you been?"

His employer never seemed to be too concerned for Naruto's welfare, so the question seemed a little out of sorts. Naruto, however, stopped fidgeting and replied as he would if anyone else asked.

"Fine, sir."

The way the man looked at him had Naruto thinking that Danzo could see right through him. Danzo sat back in his seat, face passive.

"All right," Danzo said finally, "But if you find yourself becoming increasingly…stressed, I hope you'll let me know. Some time off works wonders when you need to sort out personal affairs."

Naruto nodded wordlessly, not particularly enjoying the tone of the conversation. The man was clearly implying that Naruto was getting sloppy in compartmentalizing his life and needed to get his shit together.

It had already been weeks since his blow-up with Sasuke, so Naruto thought he'd had himself under control at this point. But if Danzo was taking notice now, then maybe Naruto hadn't quite quelled the storm in his mind. He'd need to be more careful. And he didn't need Sasuke to tell him how dangerous the man before him was.

"Thank you for your concern, sir, but I'm fine, really," Naruto said, hoping the man would let it go.

Danzo let the moment ferment in silence before he propped his elbows up on his desk and laced his fingers together, looking rather calculating as he replied, "I will take your word for it. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that should you be unable to devote one-hundred percent of your attention to caring for and protecting Konohamaru, I will have you replaced."

The threatening tone was not lost on Naruto. The blond nodded.

"I understand, sir."

"Good. Now, please prepare Konohamaru by 6pm for dinner at Copper. We'll leave together from here."

"Am I joining you and Konohamaru at Copper tonight, sir?"

"No need. Take the rest of the night off," Danzo said as he waved his hand dismissively.

Naruto stood up and left the room, wiping his sweaty palms on his slacks as he headed for the kid's room. He didn't expect that conversation to be as tense as it was, so he was glad to be off for the rest of the night.

Perhaps he'd pick up a bottle of scotch on the way home to de-stress.

. . . . .

Danzo watched as Naruto left, closing the door behind him and leaving the man in his office. He opened up the manila folder he'd closed earlier and looked through the photos again. Most were of Naruto engaging in mundane activities—going to the gym, going grocery shopping. The two photos that were most interesting were of Naruto walking back from the bar to his apartment with one of the most powerful men of Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha; and of the very same Sasuke walking out of Naruto's apartment building with a scowl on his face a few hours later.

Naruto had begun acting strangely a few weeks prior to the photos, so Danzo, being the careful man he was, had the caretaker surveilled for a while. Turned out Naruto was receiving an inordinate number of flower deliveries at his apartment. After a little questioning and digging around by one of his men, Danzo found out that the sender was the very same Sasuke Uchiha. It was clear that the two knew one another well before they'd met at the bar.

The opportunity for leverage was too good to pass up, so Danzo had his men continue digging and they discovered that Sasuke and Naruto had gone to school together since at least high school. That information was certainly useful, but he wanted to know how deep their relationship went, given Sasuke was the one sending the deliveries and not the other way around.

Danzo needed more information. He'd called Naruto into his office hoping the man would give something away, but he was rather tight-lipped and in control of himself. No matter; Danzo could easily call in a favor from one of his acquaintances and have them mine deeper for more information.

But the information he'd collect would be banked away for later, not unleashed immediately as some of his colleagues were apt to do. No, Danzo would hold onto these valuable pieces of information and use them strategically.

Besides, he liked Naruto; there was no one else who could get Konohamaru as well-behaved as he could. At least for now, Danzo would wait.

oooOOooo

 _You broke your promise to me, Sasuke. We were going to have a life together._

Sasuke spent the next few weeks thinking, after he got himself kicked out of Naruto's apartment. He hadn't wanted to upset Naruto, but he did just that and more. As an apology, he continued to have the florist deliver a daisy each day to Naruto's apartment.

While he received nothing but silence from Naruto, Sasuke felt it was important that he continue being the pursuant in this situation. Too many times in the past he'd relied on Naruto to be the one to reach out, and it ultimately ended up in Naruto disappearing from his life for years.

Sasuke would not let that happen again.

He needed to make a lot of changes in the way he approached Naruto if he wanted the blond back in his life. While he had no idea what Naruto really wanted between them, Sasuke knew that he had to at least put in the effort in getting back together. At least he wouldn't regret it later for not trying.

But it had been weeks since he last saw Naruto. Sasuke was getting antsy, and Kakashi seemed to notice. His right-hand man repeatedly suggested calling up Suigetsu to "blow off some steam", but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to—not yet, if at all. The way he'd felt after sleeping with Naruto was still too fresh in his mind, and he didn't want to taint that feeling with a round of purely physical sex.

Sasuke was in the middle of an important meeting with one of the local thug groups requesting a loan when he made up his mind to visit Naruto that night. He had to swing by a supplier to check on the purity of one of their products, then he was free for the rest of the night.

Should he pick something up as an apology gift on the way? Chocolates were better suited for people dating. He was already sending daisies everyday, so flowers were out too. Wine, perhaps? But he didn't want to give off the wrong impression…

The mafia boss snapped back to attention when Kakashi came into the room with a black leather hardshell briefcase, setting it on the coffee table between Sasuke and the brawny men across from him. Kakashi opened the briefcase and rotated it towards the group of men, their eyes widening at the cash.

"One million upfront. The rest is being wired to your account as we speak," Kakashi said as he stepped back from the briefcase.

The group of men all looked at the briefcase hungrily. Sasuke stood from his seat and straightened out his suit.

"Three months, gentlemen. As promised, we'll waive interest for the first 30 days, but you have three months from today before your first payment is due. Someone will be in touch," Sasuke stated, watching as the men before him continued to pile over one another to get their hands on the money.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Uchiha," the main brute said as he swatted the others' grubby hands and snapped the briefcase shut, "We really appreciate it."

The man looked like he was contemplating whether to offer his hand to Sasuke, but he ultimately decided against it when Sasuke raised a manicured eyebrow to him as the man stood there dumbly. He smiled nervously, then left the room with his four men in tow.

When they were finally gone and the door to his office was shut, Sasuke walked over to his desk and sat down with a heavy sigh. Kakashi suddenly appeared at his side with a crystal tumbler of whiskey at the ready. Sasuke thanked him and took the glass, taking a sip before sitting back in his chair.

"Kakashi, after we visit Mr. Gato today, you may take the rest of the day off."

Kakashi, wearing his usual turtleneck sweater, raised an eyebrow.

"Sir?"

"I have some personal business to take care of tonight," Sasuke said vaguely.

As expected, Kakashi didn't question it. He simply nodded and left the office, likely to take care of some errand. Sasuke knew the man was invaluable to his operations, tending to him nearly 24/7 without a complaint. Sasuke wasn't sure if he should be wary or grateful—probably a little of both. But it was nothing more than a passing thought, and Kakashi had more than proved himself trustworthy. Sasuke brushed away any further thought on it.

It was mid-afternoon, and there was still work to be done. Sasuke only had just that one site visit left, then he was free to visit Naruto.

But it felt like the day couldn't go by any slower.

oooOOooo

Naruto sat down on his couch, turned in the television, and poured himself a glass of scotch he'd picked up in the way home. His sudden meeting with Danzo had him on edge, and he needed to take his mind off it.

He was already on his second glass, half-watching the game show on TV, when someone knocked at his door. Naruto downed the rest of his glass before walking over to check the peephole.

"Shit," Naruto said, throwing the door open.

The blond pulled Sasuke by the sleeve of his suit jacket to maneuver him into the apartment before slamming the door. He looked through the peephole for a few moments, checking to see if anyone had seen Sasuke or followed him. When he saw no one out in the hall, Naruto let out a breath and spun around, pressing his back to the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Naruto asked, his voice dropping to a half-whisper, half-hiss, "And why don't you have any guards with you? Are you stupid?"

After his talk with Danzo, Naruto was on alert. He was aware that his employer had noticed something was going on with him, and Danzo wasn't the type to allow risks where he could help it. It was likely he already knew about his previous rendezvous with Sasuke.

But the young mafia boss looked at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly not concerned with what was eating at Naruto. The blond crossed his arms over his chest, with a worried expression on his face.

"If you would've just answered my calls, I wouldn't have had to come here in person," Sasuke said, shrugging as he shoved his hands in his pants pockets, "I came because I wanted to apologize for what I said the other day."

Naruto hesitated. He had intentionally avoided Sasuke's calls because he wasn't sure he was ready to have that conversation just yet. There were a lot of hurt feelings and issues that would need to be worked out, and Naruto hardly wanted to dredge up the sludge of their past. It was why he'd pushed Sasuke away every time he tried to tell Naruto he missed him the last time they met. Naruto didn't want to leave himself vulnerable, especially if there was a good chance they would decide it best to not be friends. He'd been hurt enough already.

But if Sasuke was making an active effort to try to make things right, it wouldn't be fair for Naruto to deny him the chance. Even with the shitty things Sasuke said the last time he came over, even with the deep-seated, festering feeling of betrayal that Sasuke rendered in him, Naruto knew he couldn't turn the man away. They had known each other for too long, cared about one another for so long, for Naruto to deny him a chance. He sighed and gestured to the living room.

"Okay. Make yourself at home... Do you want anything to drink? I have water, club soda, and scotch."

He blond hoped the other would abstain from the alcohol, given where it landed them the last time. Temptation was hard to fight when the prize was someone as perfect as Sasuke Uchiha. So when Sasuke asked for water, Naruto felt a small flash of relief. He grabbed two water bottles from the fridge and handed one to the other before taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch.

Though he wanted more scotch, Naruto was going to wait until he was alone to continue. He took a long drink from his own bottle as he watched Sasuke glance over at the glass bottle and the empty tumbler on the coffee table.

"Rough day?" Sasuke asked lightly.

Naruto waved a hand, hoping to dismiss the worry that he knew was minutely etched in the other's expression.

"Can we fast-forward to the part where you're apologizing about being a self-centered dick?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, looking somewhat unnerved. That was also something new that Naruto had never seen before in the man. Sasuke was a man with nerves of steel, so seeing him as _nervous_ as he was, sent a weird jolt through Naruto. He wasn't sure if he felt guilt or slightly pleased—probably both.

"Right," the brunet said, straightening up in his seat as he held the water bottle in his hands, "I'm sorry, Naruto, for what I said about you taking care of Konohamaru. It's not you trying to atone or make up for what you feel you couldn't do for me. I know better than anyone else that you would help any kid in that situation. I'm living proof of that."

The earnest expression on Sasuke's face nearly melted the ice that had formed around Naruto's heart. Only nearly.

The blond sighed and reached for the scotch, pouring himself a generous amount as if he hadn't already had two glasses already. How quickly he changed his mind to stay one hundred percent sober for this conversation. When he sat back, half-lounging on his side of the couch, he met Sasuke's gaze, which had been trained on him for the past minute.

Naruto simply met Sasuke's eyes with a wary look. He took a sip of scotch and stretched his left arm along the back of the couch, positioning his legs more comfortably as he snuggled into the corner of the couch. His gaze moved to fix on his fingers as he tapped them in succession, collecting his thoughts.

"I'm not proud working for Danzo," Naruto said quietly, eyes still on his fingers, "But I do feel like I can make a difference Konohamaru. He...doesn't have anyone other than Danzo to rely on."

There was a short silence between them, and Naruto was glad for it. He looked over at Sasuke, who was now leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. The other was dressed in a black suit, a blue polka-dotted tie, white button-down, black dress socks, with his black dress shoes sitting by the door—all the essentials for any man in his particular line of work.

"How did you meet him?"

Completely distracted by Sasuke's attire, Naruto jumped, startled, when the other broke the silence. He cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks warm a bit under the pale man's scrutiny.

"It's kind of a long story," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sasuke sat back into the couch and crossed his legs.

"I'm in no hurry."

Naruto gave in. He figured it was a good way to explain his side of things, that he hadn't just walked up to Danzo and asked him if he had any poor children to take care of.

"Well, it started a little more than a year ago…"

 _Naruto had been walking home from a shift at the grocery store a mile away from Iruka's, when he was still living there. He was in-between jobs, working part-time while he looked for his next gig. One day, when he decided to cut through the park, Naruto heard some kids getting into a scuffle._

" _Don't you know who I am? You're pretty ballsy if you think you can take me on!"_

 _The blond looked over to the group of kids and spotted a larger, brown-haired boy looking down at a smaller, snot-nosed boy. Two of the smaller boy's friends were crouched around him, trying to see if he was okay. The larger boy had two of his own friends, though they just hung back and tried to look tough, folding their arms over their chests._

 _Naruto found bullying unacceptable, having been victim of ruthless kids when he was younger. Seeing the larger boy trying to assert his dominance flared something in Naruto, and before he could comprehend it, he was already midway to the group of kids._

" _Oi, what do you think you're doing?"_

 _Every kid looked over at Naruto, their eyes wide._

" _Uh, we'll see you later, Konohamaru!" one of the larger boy's friends said before the pair bolted._

 _The smaller boy and his friends also took the opportunity to scramble up off the floor and dart off. Naruto had wanted to make sure that they were okay, but they ran off before he had the chance. On the other hand, the larger boy, Konohamaru, remained as he was, narrowing his eyes and looking like he was steeling himself against Naruto's approach._

" _It's none of your business, geezer," Konohamaru spat as he crossed his arms over his chest._

" _I'm making it my business," Naruto said, putting his hands on his hips, "You were bullying that kid."_

" _Was not!" he shouted immediately._

" _Okay, then what were you doing?"_

 _Konohamaru paused. He frowned and slouched, looking off to the side and muttering something. Naruto raised an eyebrow._

" _Could you repeat that?"_

" _He was making fun of me for not having a normal family like everybody else."_

 _Naruto raised an eyebrow. It wasn't likely something the kid would lie about, but he waited for him to continue._

" _Our teacher wanted us to write about our families and I only got my dad left. Only, he's not my real dad and only started taking care of me when my grandpa died. Hideki was making fun of me, saying I didn't have a real family. So I pushed him."_

 _It was clear that Konohamaru was trying his best not to cry about it. In that moment, Naruto felt like he was looking at a younger version of himself—just a kid with no parents and no friends to ease the loneliness in his life._

 _Naruto sighed, running fingers through his hair, "I get it. But you can't hit every person who says something bad about you."_

 _Konohamaru scoffed, frowning and furrowing his eyebrows despite his oncoming tears, "Every adult tells me they 'get it'."_

 _The blond understood the kid's skepticism. He'd gone through the same motions when he was younger as well, until Iruka came into his life. But Naruto knew he was lucky that he was adopted by his foster parent; not every kid got the chance to enter a loving family as he did._

" _I was like you, kid," Naruto said, "Iruka adopted me when I was eight, but my parents died before I had any memory of them. I used to get into fights with the other kids a lot, too."_

 _The brown-haired kid still seemed skeptical, but he became more at ease at Naruto's confession._

" _But you stopped fighting them?"_

 _Naruto smirked._

" _Kind of. My foster dad and my best friend's parents convinced the school to start teaching mixed martial arts during gym class. I fought a lot of the kids who made fun of me, but it was allowed."_

 _A twitch, albeit a small one, formed at the corner of the kid's mouth. He looked less like he was going to cry, and more excited at Naruto's story._

" _Do you think my dad could convince the school to teach that?"_

 _Naruto shrugged, "It's worth asking, but worst case, you can start taking classes and talk about it at school. If you work hard, no one will want to mess with you."_

 _And he sent Konohamaru off with that, after they formally introduced themselves to one another. Naruto thought nothing further of the interaction, thinking it was the first and last time he saw Konohamaru._

Sasuke looked completely incredulous by the end of the retelling of his initial meeting with Konohamaru. With a raised eyebrow, he wordlessly pressed Naruto for more information—how did he find himself tangled up in business with Danzo?

Naruto sighed and ran fingers through his hair. This was the part of the story would leave a bad taste in Sasuke's mouth, for sure. But if they were going to work towards fixing _whatever_ it was they had between them, Naruto opted to tell the truth.

"I forgot to take off my name badge after my shift at the grocer's, and Konohamaru apparently paid enough attention to ďiscover where I worked. He told his father, who sent two men to...intercept me the next day after my shift."

At that, Sasuke frowned. He didn't like the idea of trouble finding its way to the blond. Naruto grinned sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I thought they wanted to hurt me, so I tried to take them out. But one of them started talking about Konohamaru and how his dad wanted to thank me. I felt dumb—they were beat up pretty badly. But if they had just told me what they wanted in the first place instead of trying to just _grab_ me, I wouldn't have hurt them!"

A twitch threatened to upturn Sasuke's lip. The brunet always knew Naruto enjoyed MMA, and it seemed likely the man was keeping up with his training and sparring. But he wanted to hear the rest of the story, so he refocused.

"So you followed them to Danzo's house. Then what?"

That part didn't sit well with Sasuke. He knew Naruto was more than capable of defending himself, but to unknowingly step into the lion's den? Sasuke could feel his palms sweating at the thought.

"Well, Danzo was already impressed with how I handled Konohamaru. Apparently the night before when Konohamaru got home, he started going on and on with his father about me. Danzo said he'd never been able to reign Konohamaru in, and finding someone to put him in line had been difficult. And after he saw what I did to the two guys who approached me, well, I was offered a job on the spot."

Sasuke was quiet, but he nodded at Naruto's story. Danzo wasn't an easy man to sway, and it was just like Naruto to garner the man's favor without even trying. The blond had an unnatural pull to him with that charisma and mystery about him.

Naruto took Sasuke's silence as disapproval, though. He started stuttering through his words, quietly and meekly.

"I-I didn't know who Danzo was, you know, when I first met him."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. Naruto really was dense sometimes...at least that hadn't changed.

"I swear! I thought—I thought he was just some bigwig working at one of those financial firms downtown or something. I didn't even realize until a month in that he had anything to do with the mafia."

"You had no idea?" Sasuke asked, still unsure he believed it.

"No!" Naruto replied almost immediately, "It's not like I had anything to do with whatever operations he has going on. My job is focused only on taking care of Konohamaru. I take the kid to school in the morning and pick him up afterwards. Other than that, I handle a few chores and tutor Konohamaru for an hour or two. Then I go home. I almost never even interact with Danzo unless he calls me into his office!"

Sasuke looked over Naruto, who seemed rather nervous as he clenched his glass of scotch before taking a large gulp from it. Despite the obvious anxiety from the blond, their conversation was going relatively well. It was a start, at least, for them to understand their points of contention. Suddenly, it felt like their relationship (as friends—Sasuke wasn't going to start counting his eggs before they hatched) had a fighting chance.

After listening to Naruto's account of his association with Danzo, Sasuke felt less anxious about it. The blond hadn't just made a deal with the devil straight from the gates. It was a simple situation-turned-complicated. He could hardly fault Naruto with that.

But that didn't change the fact that Naruto was associated with Danzo. If they were going to maintain even friendship between them, their situation was going to be complex and difficult; other than staying the hell away from each other (which Sasuke was not willing to do), they would need to decide _together_ what was going to happen going forward.

"Well, in any case," Sasuke said, a small smile lifting his lips, pushing those complicated thoughts from his mind to deal with later, "you managed to impress one of the most difficult men in Konoha."

At the strange compliment, the blond flushed, his tanned skin looking extra delectable. Sasuke grinned, suddenly feeling a warmth in him that he long since thought he was incapable of feeling after Naruto left.

"I didn't do anything special," Naruto muttered, averting his gaze while shrugging his shoulders.

The blond looked embarrassed; while Naruto inherently loved praise, he also shied from it. The juxtaposition of seemingly two contrasting things about Naruto was part of why Sasuke loved him in the first place.

They chatted for a little while longer, mostly about Konohamaru. Though Sasuke was a little jealous of how devoted Naruto was to the kid, he loved seeing the blond as animated and lively as he was.

Naruto had just finished talking about Konohamaru's field trip when he looked at his phone and cursed.

"Everything okay?" Sasuke asked.

Tanned fingers ran through blond hair, and a sigh escaped Naruto's lips.

"Yeah, I just remembered that I'm chaperoning Konohamaru's class trip tomorrow. I was planning on sleeping early today, actually."

Sasuke immediately felt guilty for keeping Naruto up; when he looked at his own phone, it was already half past midnight. He had no idea what the blond's schedule was like in the morning, and he didn't want to make any assumptions as to how little sleep the other was going to get. The brunet got up from his seat, stretching for a hot second before making his way to the front door.

"Sorry, I didn't know," Sasuke apologized as he put his shoes on.

Naruto shrugged, putting on a sheepish grin as he stood himself, "No, you didn't. It's my fault, anyway." He paused for a moment, then looked directly at Sasuke as he continued, "I should've called you sooner. I'm sorry for kicking you out the other night."

The brunet had thrown his jacket on, ready to leave, but he stood at the doorway, hands in his jacket pockets.

"I deserved it. I said some pretty fucked up things," Sasuke said with a frown, then letting a small smile grace his face, "But I'm really glad we got to talk today."

He hoped his tone was enough of a hint to Naruto how much he missed him. Having learned from their previous encounter, Sasuke didn't want to push Naruto into such a serious conversation until they were both ready. He knew he was lucky just being able to see Naruto like this, as unguarded as he was.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad too. So...I'll see you later?"

Sasuke smiled and opened the door, looking over his shoulder to reply, "Yeah, later."

As Sasuke exited the apartment building, he thought about the daisies that sat on Naruto's coffee table. He felt a small thump in his chest, hopeful that the fact that the blond still went through the trouble to hold onto his daily daisy deliveries. When he got to the first floor he noticed the vases of daisies scattered along the hallway. Sasuke let out a small laugh, not sure if he was happy that Naruto hadn't just thrown them all away or if he was disappointed the blond hadn't kept them all to himself.


	4. Call

**Author's Note:** Hi, loves. Sorry this is late. The holidays came so suddenly, my schedule was unexpectedly thrown off and I hadn't the time to write up the next installment. Hope the slightly longer chapter makes up for it a little. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak (err, read), so we should be resuming the normal upload schedule (every Saturday).

This chapter got me a bit teary-eyed toward the end, and I hope you're able to feel the anguish the way our brunet and blond doves do!

* * *

When Naruto's wakeup alarm sounded on his phone at six-thirty, he let out a long groan and reached over to the device on his night stand to dismiss it. He was exhausted; after Sasuke's unannounced visit the previous night, Naruto still had to shower and get ready for bed. By the time he rolled into his covers, it was nearing two in the morning.

He certainly didn't regret the conversation he had with Sasuke, but...he definitely wished the timing had been a little more convenient. The whole week he hadn't had a decent night's sleep, awake into the wee hours thinking about Sasuke, so his bad sleeping schedule caught up to him in full force. If he'd stayed up any other night, Naruto probably wouldn't be dreading the thought of waking up, but since he was going to be chaperoning for a good part of the day, he was going to need more than his usual cup of coffee. At least one more cup than usual. Or two. God, he was tired.

Naruto forced himself out of bed and grabbed the outfit he laid out for himself on his chair the night before, opting for a more casual outfit for the day with a maroon sweater and dark blue jeans. As he dressed himself with his eyes nearly closed, Naruto tiredly thought back on the conversation he'd had with Sasuke. He'd done most of the talking last night, which felt like he was _explaining himself_ , as if he owed Sasuke something, but he couldn't lie to himself that it'd felt liberating to tell someone about how ridiculous his situation was (even if that someone was Sasuke). Naruto hadn't even gone into the full scope of his past year even with Iruka, not wanting to unintentionally place him into any danger by knowing too much.

But with Sasuke, it was different. It wasn't that Naruto wanted to endanger the man (Sasuke was more than capable of taking care of himself), but he felt...safe with sharing all that information with Sasuke. And he felt inexplicably better after seeing that flicker of understanding in Sasuke's eyes.

Naruto shook that thought from his mind as he dressed and readied breakfast of toast with almond butter, a banana, and a mug of black coffee. He was ready to leave his apartment by six-fifty, which gave him more than enough time to hop into his car and drive over to the Shimura household by five after seven.

He unlocked the door to the house, and the blond loudly stomped his way to Konohamaru's bedroom as a warning that he was coming. When he knocked on the kid's room, Naruto barely gave it two seconds before he barged in.

"Field trip today!" Naruto yelled, rousing the bundle of blankets from slumber.

Konohamaru was always difficult to wake in the morning, even on days that involved field trips. The kid let out an unintelligible sound from under his blankets, acknowledging Naruto's announcement and indicating he was on his way to waking.

But the normal Konohamaru "wake up process" was far too slow for a day like today. Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth, creating a makeshift megaphone.

"It's time to get up, Kono. We're going to see the elephants, the lions, the penguins! Aren't you excited?"

Naruto grabbed one end of the blanket and pulled it off Konohamaru in one strong move. In reaction, the brown-haired kid groaned and reached around him for the blanket blindly, eyes still closed. Konohamaru opened his eyes and half-glared at Naruto, his hair all a mess.

"Okay, I got it. I'm awake. I'm getting ready."

Once Konohamaru swung his legs over the edge of his bed to get up, Naruto told him to find him in the kitchen. The kid simply groaned and shuffled into his bathroom to wash up.

The blond made his way through the large house and into the kitchen. It was a particularly nice kitchen with the latest appliances in steel finish and sleek-looking grey concrete countertops. He rummaged through the drawers for a proper-sized pot and started up some oatmeal for Konohamaru and Danzo. Some mornings he would cook a whole breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sometimes waffles or pancakes, but this was not one of those mornings. Naruto started up the coffee maker as well, already feeling like he was going to need a second cup.

When Danzo came into the kitchen, still in his forest green robes and dark blue pajamas, Naruto greeted him and served him up a bowl of oatmeal, setting some brown sugar, granola, dried cranberries, and walnuts as choices for toppings. Danzo simply spooned a bit of brown sugar into his portion. After Danzo spooned his first bite, Naruto set down a mug of black coffee for him.

The blond usually didn't interact all that much with Danzo in the mornings, or ever, really, even if he did make the man breakfast every weekday. He was glad that the routine hadn't changed, especially after Danzo had not-so-subtly threatened him the other day. Naruto wordlessly poured himself some coffee, opting for some milk and sugar. He sipped at it as he leaned on the island counter, perpendicular to Danzo's seat, quietly looking through his phone for texts from his friends They wanted to plan a get-together sometime soon in Konoha, to which Naruto responded "abso-fucking-lutely" to.

After what felt like an eternity of Danzo silently eating breakfast while Naruto focused on his phone, Konohamaru finally emerged. Normally, he'd dress in his school uniform but since it was a field trip, the kids were allowed a little more freedom. The kid had decided on khaki shorts, a yellow t-shirt, a blue scarf, and…a pair of goggles?

"What are the goggles for?" Naruto asked, glancing over at Danzo who didn't seem to care about the boy's interesting outfit.

Konohamaru grinned, jabbing his thumb at his chest proudly, "I'm going to go swimming with the dolphins!"

Naruto had to fight the grin that threatened to pull his lips upward and put his hands on his hips.

"And if security stops you?" Naruto asked.

Without faltering, the kid replied, "They won't even notice me! I'll be slick—like a ninja!"

To their surprise, Danzo let out a laugh through his oatmeal. Konohamaru whipped his head over to his dad, large grin in place as he puffed his chest out. Meanwhile, Naruto nearly choked on his spit; he'd never even heard Danzo speak happily, so the joyous sound coming from the man was both terrifying and...warming?

But despite Naruto's obvious start, Danzo spoke direct to Konohamaru, playful glint still in his eye, "Don't get any ideas, Kono. You give Naruto enough trouble as it is."

Then Danzo paused, looking thoughtful, and reached into his robe to hand over a few bills to Konohamaru.

"For souvenirs. Bring something home for me, okay?"

Konohamaru all but snatched the bills from his father's hand and stuffed it into his cargo pocket by his left knee, snapping it shut.

"Got it, pops. Naruto! Let's go swimming with the dolphins!"

Naruto tilted his head, hands still on his hips and raising his eyebrow in silent admonishment. Konohamaru sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and turned to his father.

"Thanks, pops. I'll make sure to bring you something cool."

Danzo simply ruffled Konohamaru's hair and watched as the kid flashed him one last smile and bounded out the kitchen. Naruto sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"You have a good handle on him, Naruto," Danzo said.

In the year he'd worked for Danzo, other than the first time he'd met the man, Naruto never received any compliment on his work. Danzo seemed relatively at ease this morning.

"Well, I won't lie—Konohamaru's hard to handle sometimes, but he reminds me of myself," Naruto admitted with a smile.

Before either could further the conversation, Konohamaru popped his head back into the kitchen.

"Narutooooo," Konohamaru whined, "we're gonna be late! Stop flirting with my old man and let's go!"

At that, Naruto let out an indignant, " _flirting?!_ ", while Danzo gruffed out, " _old man?_ " The blond was absolutely pink with embarrassment; he was certainly _not_ **flirting** with his boss! Danzo was more than twice his age, which was OLD, and—and—

"He's right. You should head out," Danzo said, cutting through Naruto's panic and waving his hand to send them off.

Naruto nodded, quickly getting over his embarrassment and focusing himself. Clearly, Danzo hadn't taken Konohamaru's comment seriously at all.

"All right, brat, let's go," Naruto said, herding Konohamaru out the house and to his car.

. . . . .

As Danzo watched the blond leave with his adoptive son, he leaned forward in his seat, propping his elbows onto the counter and lacing his fingers in thought. He appreciated Naruto's energy and ability to wrangle Konohamaru, but that wasn't why he'd been in a good mood.

The man had woken at five o'clock to a call from one of his men who'd successfully re-routed a ballistics shipment that was for the Uchihas. Despite the early call, he was _delighted_ to hear that it had worked. It was more of a test to see how distracted Sasuke was, how _sloppy_ he'd get if given the right distraction.

And Naruto was proving to be a _very_ useful distraction.

Danzo wasn't stupid; when Sasuke was completely focused, he was a man to be reckoned with. However, he realized—you take that focus away, and Sasuke's _just a man_. Because Sasuke was so preoccupied with other aspects of his life, he overlooked the quality of the men assigned to oversee the shipment. Sasuke was not as infallible as many others thought him to be, which meant that Danzo just needed to play his cards right to get what he wanted.

The prospect of taking over the Uchiha family and essentially forcing his way into the Akatsuki syndicate sent delightful shivers through Danzo.

oooOOooo

"Fuuuuuck," Naruto said under his breath as he ran past the elephants exhibit.

The blond was in some deep shit; after what was mostly a smooth field trip to the zoo, just as the kids were rounding up in the gift shop and heading to the buses, Naruto discovered Konohamaru was missing from the group of what was supposed to be twenty-two kids.

Mr. Daikoku Funeno, the class's teacher, insisted Naruto head off in search of the missing kid while he and Natsushi Takano, the mother of Moegi Takano and the other chaperone, herded the kids to the bus. Naruto gave Daikoku his thanks before rushing off to retrace their steps; he had no other leads as to where Konohamaru might've gone.

Of course, Naruto had first tried Konohamaru's cellphone, but much to his dismay his call had been immediately redirected to voicemail. He had also tried checking the bathrooms by the gift shop as well, finding no one there except a man who Naruto startled when the blond called out Konohamaru's name.

Naruto grit his teeth as he ran past the gorillas, stopping at the nearby intersection to look down each road, hoping to spot that familiar yellow shirt and khakis.

But there was no sign of him.

"Come on, Kono," Naruto said quietly but tensely after he tried to call Konohamaru's phone again.

As Naruto started off his search again, his mind raced to the worst case scenario. What if Konohamaru wasn't just lost? He was the kid of a mob boss; if any rival family wanted to screw with Danzo, all they had to do was dig for some information and find an easy time and place to grab Konohamaru.

Naruto felt his heartbeat speed up again at the thought, his breathing becoming shallow. The image of Konohamaru being hauled off by some thugs made him feel sick. He was just a kid. Did any of the mafia have any honor? If they would stoop low enough to kidnap kids, what was stopping them from _harming_ them? The blond's stomach churned.

It was all his fault that Konohamaru was in trouble; if only Naruto had been paying attention to the doors in the gift shop, he would've noticed the boisterous, brown-haired kid leaving the shop. Even if he was only stepping outside for a moment, at least Naruto would know where he was supposed to be.

But his lack of sleep had worn him, and Naruto had negligently rested his eyes as he leaned against the wall by one of the shop entrances. He'd failed in keeping Konohamaru safe.

"Naruuuuutooo!"

At the call of his name, Naruto snapped his head to the right and skidded mid-run to change his trajectory towards the unmistakably bright outfit and goggles. When the blond neared Konohamaru, he was breathing hard, his hands on his hips.

"Kono, _what the hell_?" Naruto hissed, rubbing at the side stitch forming.

Just as the blond was about to begin lecturing Konohamaru, the kid held out a lidded paper cup. Naruto paused and stared at it.

"It's for you," Konohamaru said, realizing that he was definitely in trouble.

Konohamaru pushed the cup of cold coffee into Naruto's hand and put his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts.

"They ran out of coffee at the place by the gift shop," Konohamaru explained, "And I remembered there was another place selling coffee by the bears, so I went there but didn't realize how long it was going to take me. Then I got lost getting back and my phone ran out of battery since I was taking pictures all day. I'm sorry, Naruto. You seemed really tired all day, and I wanted to get you coffee before we left."

The earnest, remorseful expression on Konohamaru's face immediately melted away all of Naruto's resolve to reprimand him. The kid had only wandered off for Naruto's sake, and that sentiment was touching.

"Oh," was all Naruto could manage, looking at the coffee cup in his hand and back to Konohamaru.

Then Naruto recollected himself and sighed, "Okay. The others are on the bus already. Let's make our way out of here."

Naruto and Konohamaru headed back to the entrance together, and Naruto called Daikoku to inform him that he'd found Konohamaru. Daikoku sounded relieved, and when they finally made their way to the yellow bus, Daikoku was standing outside, arms crossed over his chest.

"You had us all worried, kid," Daikoku said as he ruffled Konohamaru's hair, sending his goggles out of place.

Konohamaru looked sorry, but not quite as much so as when he apologized to Naruto earlier.

"Sorry, teach. Didn't mean to scare ya."

"I know," Daikoku said, his arms still crossed and face stern, "But you walked off without permission. You broke one of the rules of the field trip, and for that, you're going to spend lunch every day for the next month with me."

If Konohamaru looked sorry before, he looked even sorrier now. But instead of arguing, the kid just nodded and accepted his fate.

"Okay. I'm sorry for breaking the rules."

Daikoku considered Konohamaru for a few moments, then the expression on his face softened and he uncrossed his arms to ruffle the kid's hair again.

"Let's get on the bus and head home. Make sure you apologize to your classmates for keeping them, okay?"

There were no other words needed for Konohamaru to climb onto the bus and greet the other kids sheepishly. Daikoku didn't make any move to climb aboard, and so Naruto waited; the teacher looked like he wanted to have a few words with him.

When Daikoku finally turned his attention to Naruto, the expression on his face was a mix of serious and reverent. Naruto wasn't sure how to hold himself under that stare, so he held his cold cup of coffee awkwardly with one hand, shoving his other hand into his pocket.

"I'm sorry, Daikoku," Naruto apologized and lifted his cup, "Konohamaru only ran off to get me this but got lost on the way back."

Silence passed between Naruto and the teacher. Naruto could offer nothing else and waited for Daikoku to say his piece.

"Before Konohamaru came to my class," Daikoku said, getting Naruto's attention, "the other teachers warned me about him. They all said he was a prankster, a disruption to class. Mrs. Shirakuno practically begged me to take him in my class instead."

Naruto tried to say something, but Daikoku held up his hand to stop him. The blond shut his mouth, though he felt annoyance eating at him; he knew the feeling of being disliked by adults all too well. But he allowed Daikoku to continue.

"I understand Konohamaru has had a difficult time dealing with the loss of his grandfather, so I was ready to do whatever I could to help him out of that. As a teacher, it's partly my responsibility. But from the first day he stepped foot into my class, Konohamaru was never the troublemaker everyone made him out to be. And after seeing the way he cares about you, it's even clearer to me now that you're the reason."

The blond rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to Daikoku's compliment to him.

"You give me too much credit," Naruto finally replied, "If anyone did anything good, it was Konohamaru; he's the one who decided to change his behavior. I've just been me."

Daikoku nodded, a smile building on his face, "True, but I've seen the way you handled the kids today; you didn't even have to try and they loved you. Konohamaru is lucky."

Naruto smiled wordlessly, unsure of what to say. But Daikoku broke the silence and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's get these kids back home, huh?"

As Daikoku stepped up onto the bus, Naruto stopped him.

"What about the school? Won't you get in trouble for being late?"

"Don't worry, Natsushi called the school to let them know one of our students ran into some... _issues_. Made it seem like it was a minor medical emergency. So we should be okay."

With that, the teacher climbed aboard and Naruto followed behind him. As the blond took his seat, he listened to Konohamaru telling the other kids how he had found his way "into the lion's den and lived to tell the tale!" Naruto smiled, eyes trained on the window as he rested his head against the glass.

Within a few minutes, Naruto was sound asleep.

oooOOooo

Everything was fine and well with the school; they bought the story that Konohamaru had run off to the bathroom after his stomach disagreed with him. The other parents were worried, but no one was angry at the late arrival.

Even though the day went smoothly, all things considered, Naruto felt on edge as he drove Konohamaru home. Facing Danzo would be a totally different beast.

Danzo had expected Konohamaru home at four o'clock, the latest, but it was already closing in on six o'clock. Naruto had forgotten to call Danzo to update him on their timeline to arrive at the house, and it wasn't until he woke up on the bus that he did so. It was already half past four by that point, and Danzo gave no emotion away when he gave him the update.

Naruto performed poorly in keeping Konohamaru safe. He was exhausted and unfocused, leading to negligent care. The blond knew Danzo didn't take Konohamaru's safety lightly, and if Danzo knew Naruto was not putting his one-hundred percent into taking care of Konohamaru, the mafia boss would certainly make good on his threat to _replace_ him.

For the entire ride Naruto said nothing, his nerves eating at him, and Konohamaru held his tongue as well. When they rolled up the driveway to the front of the house, Danzo was waiting outside the front door, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. The man was dressed in his suit, having likely just arrived home from work.

The pair exited the car and stood in front of Danzo side by side quietly. Despite his uncharacteristic energy in the morning, he seemed to be in no mood for pleasantries now.

"Explain to me why you're over two hours late."

Though Naruto had rehearsed in his head what he was going to say to Danzo, he froze up. He parted his lips, jaw moving but no words coming out of his mouth.

"When Naruto wasn't looking, I ran off to the bathrooms and got lost on the way back. It took them almost an hour to find me. I told you I was a ninja!" Konohamaru said energetically, then his expression became remorseful, "And I got a month of lunch detention from Mr. Funeno."

Naruto was ready to give himself in, ready to tell his employer about his negligence and face the consequences, but Konohamaru had stepped in before he could do so. The blond held his tongue, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to reveal that Konohamaru was covering for him. Besides, he could have sworn he saw Danzo's lip twitch at the ninja comment. Surely Danzo wouldn't be _that_ mad if Konohamaru took the fall?

"What did I tell you about causing Naruto trouble?" Danzo said gruffly, frowning at his son.

"Yeah, I know. I already told him sorry," Konohamaru said, to which Naruto nodded, "And I'm sorry, pops. I, uh, got you these."

The kid reached into his pocket and pulled out a bunch of small animal figurines. He opened up Danzo's free hand and pressed the plastic menagerie into his father's hand.

"I couldn't find a dolphin one, but I hope you like the rest of 'em."

Danzo looked down at the plastic figures in his hand and gave Konohamaru a small smile before putting them into his pants pocket.

"Thanks, son."

Naruto stepped forward, sorry for interrupting their nice father-son moment. But his nerves were wearing on him and he needed to remove himself from Danzo's presence.

"Kono, let's bring you to your room. I'm sure both you and your father are tired after a long day."

The trio stepped into the house and Danzo bid Naruto good evening before he went off to his study, leaving Naruto and Konohamaru. The pair went upstairs to Konohamaru's room, and when they were safely in the kid's bedroom, Naruto shut the door behind them.

"You covered for me," Naruto stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

It wasn't that he was ungrateful—in fact, he was _extremely_ grateful. But Konohamaru had willingly thrown _himself_ under the bus, so to speak. Thinking back to Daikoku's words and what Konohamaru was like when he first met him, it was clear how much Konohamaru had changed.

Konohamaru walked over to his bed and threw himself down onto it, staring up at the ceiling.

"I know," he replied simply.

"Why?"

"Because," he said, staring at the ceiling and refusing to look over at Naruto, "my dad gets kind of... _scary_ with stuff like that. I doubt you'd know, but the last few people who took care of me, when they messed up, even when it was something small, they'd...disappear."

With those last chilling words coming from Konohamaru, the kid sat up and looked at Naruto. The blond gulped, trying not to think about what would have happened to him if he had told Danzo the truth.

"Oh," was all he could manage. Yet again, Naruto was rendered speechless.

Konohamaru stood up from his bed, looking off to the side as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I mean, it wasn't even a big deal, me running off. But you were going to make it seem like it was completely your fault, and that would have definitely made my dad mad. It's not like I lied, like the way Mr. Funeno did to the school," Konohamaru said, grinning when Naruto's face paled a little, "But anyway, I like having you around, so..."

Naruto smiled and reached forward to bring Konohamaru into a bone-crushing hug. The kid was right; Naruto was ready to make it seem like it was all his fault, but it hadn't _exactly_ been—not completely, anyway. Sure, Naruto should be taking better care of himself and getting more sleep so he'd be more attentive, but Konohamaru was the one who ran off without a word. They were both in the wrong.

When Naruto finally let go of Konohamaru, he grinned at him.

"Thanks, Kono. You saved my ass back there."

"Yeah, well, you would've done the same for me," Konohamaru mumbled, his face turning slightly pink.

After Naruto forced Konohamaru into another reluctant hug, they wished each other goodnight and Naruto left the Shimura household to head home.

The whole way home, however, the whole barrage of thoughts entered his mind, keeping him on edge even as he changed out of his clothes and into pajamas.

How much did Konohamaru know about Danzo's dealings? His _family business_?

oooOOooo

" **Fuck**."

Sasuke threw his phone down onto the Burmese rosewood desk before rounding it to take a seat in the plush leather chair. He crossed his legs and clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as he grit his teeth.

The day had been a nightmare; though he'd gone to bed soothed from his visit to Naruto the night prior, Sasuke had had quite a surprise when he woke to find that the ballistics shipment he'd been waiting _months_ for had been _stolen_ en route to their warehouse in the industrial part of Konoha. Kakashi had only been informed of the situation on the drive over, and he was the unfortunate soul who had to break the news to Sasuke.

 _They were on their way to Centennial Park—the industrial area of Konoha the locals nicknamed, "Centen". Sasuke was lost in thought as he stared out the window, his mind stuck on thoughts of his ex-lover. He only vaguely noticed Kakashi take a call as the man drove the black luxury sedan to the other side of town, and it wasn't until Sasuke picked up on Kakashi's tense tone that he perked his attention to his right-hand man._

" _Sir," Kakashi said, turning his head ever so slightly as he ended the call on his Bluetooth earpiece, "the shipment never made it to Centen."_

" _ **What**_ _?" Sasuke snapped._

 _Had it been anyone else in Sasuke's employ, the man might have squirmed at his boss's sharp tone. But Kakashi was more than capable at keeping a cool head._

" _The team in charge of receiving the shipment reported the truck failed to arrive at six-thirty."_

" _And they didn't_ _ **think**_ _to inform me then?" Sasuke asked, coming closer and closer to losing his calm._

" _I don't know, sir," Kakashi replied, "But they wanted to inform you that they found the bodies of the men who were supposed to be on the truck; each of the five men had been shot in the head and dragged off the side of the road twenty minutes outside Konoha."_

 _Sasuke clenched his fist, his mind working on the details of the shipment. Five men were on that shipment, which should have been more than enough—_

" _Who were the five men?" Sasuke asked, fearing he already knew the reason why that team had been taken out._

" _Monju, Seito, Komaza, Guruko, and Yakku, sir."_

 _Sasuke stared out the window, letting the names sink in._

 _As they pulled up to the warehouse, Sasuke straightened his tie and addressed Kakashi, pulling any emotion out of his voice, "When you have a moment, please contact the men's families and see to their funeral arrangements."_

" _Yes, sir."_

Sasuke sat back in his chair, shutting his eyes and cursing under his breath. The five men on the shipment run were all newbies, and Sasuke only vaguely remembered going over the assignments the week prior. It was clear Sasuke hadn't thought the team through, and he put them all in needless danger.

He was getting sloppy, and it was uncharacteristic of him.

If he wanted to be honest, the mafia boss was letting Naruto affect him more than he should. Sasuke didn't even want to think about what other mistakes he'd made in the past few weeks, but after having essentially killed five of his men, he needed to double-check his work from the past few weeks. He wasn't about to let another mistake happen.

On top of the funeral arrangements, Sasuke assigned Kakashi to oversee the investigation of the missing ballistics shipment. It was of the utmost importance for the Uchiha family to understand who had re-routed their supplies, to discover the _pieces of shit_ that decided to try their luck.

Sasuke took the rest of the day to go over his work in the offices on the second floor of the Centen warehouse, identifying a few additional points in upcoming jobs that could stand to use some improvement. By the time he let himself take a break from poring over pages upon pages of job details, it was well past the end of the business day. He stood up from his desk and stretched.

Despite his men having walked into their deaths earlier in the day, Sasuke couldn't help himself and let his weary mind finally wander to thoughts about Naruto. He hoped the blond had fared well chaperoning the class trip to the zoo. Sasuke took a moment to send off a quick text to ask Naruto how the day went.

When the mafia boss left his office and stepped into the adjoining office where Kakashi was, the silver-haired man looked up from the paperwork on his desk. Sasuke didn't need to say a word as Kakashi stood and began to report his updates.

"All the families have been contacted, and funeral arrangements have been made. I've scheduled you to attend their wakes: Yakku's tomorrow morning, Monju's in the afternoon, and Komaza's in the evening. The following day will be Guruko's in the morning and Seito's in the evening.

"And in investigating the missing shipment from this morning," Kakashi said as he handed one of the manila folders from his desk over to Sasuke, "These images were pulled from one of the traffic cams just outside of Konoha by Yamanaka Station. The truck was last seen pulling into one of the parking garages there at about six-thirty this morning, but no reports of it leaving."

Sasuke opened the manila folder and inspected the grainy photos. Sure enough, it was the truck he and the ballistics supplier from Kumo inspected a few weeks back, when their deal was struck. But the photos were far too grainy for him to tell who exactly was driving the truck at the time it pulled into the parking garage.

"Thank you, Kakashi. If there's time tomorrow, we'll have to pay the Yamanaka's a visit. In the meantime, let's return to the mansion."

Kakashi gave an acknowledging nod and locked up the office, the pair of them stopping by to check up on the men in the warehouse, before they headed back back to the Uchiha household for the night.

oooOOooo

When Naruto's phone chimed at the arrival of a text, the blond roused from his prostrate position and grabbed at the device on the coffee table before sitting up on the couch.

' _How was the zoo?'_

Even with the innocuous question, Naruto couldn't help when his heart beat a little faster and his stomach did a little flip. For whatever reason, he was nervous to answer Sasuke's question.

Should he tell him the truth?

The thought of getting lectured by Sasuke (which happened more than a few times when they were younger), or worse yet, being _pitied_ by the man, made Naruto queasy. He'd shared his story about Konohamaru already, so what was one more update to his fucked up story?

Even so, Naruto bit his tongue as he thought about being forthcoming with Sasuke. Though Sasuke seemed attentive during their conversation last night, the brunet also had yet to share anything from their years apart. In fact, Sasuke seemed to take special care to make no mention of his work, all for Naruto's sake.

But what did that mean for the both of them, if Sasuke was willing to be involved with Naruto's business but Naruto wasn't willing to reciprocate?

Since their reunion, Naruto had been somewhat thankful that Sasuke avoided talking about work; it would have definitely pissed off the blond if they talked about anything work-related the first one or two times they met up. But now? After Sasuke was willing to listen and learn about Naruto's own going-ons with Danzo and his kid? Naruto wasn't sure if they could realistically maintain any kind of close relationship if Sasuke always had to censor himself. It wouldn't be fair to the brunet.

Given their complicated situation, however, perhaps it would be better if they just remained acquaintances.

'Zoo was fine,' he texted back, then sent another message to be polite, 'How was your day?'

. . . . .

Sasuke was walking into the house when Naruto finally replied to his text. He sighed at the curt text, then sighed again at the follow-up text.

The mafia boss knew Naruto was trying to hold him at arm's length.

When they were younger, even on a mundane day, Naruto could go on and on about how his day went. So to receive the short, three-worded message like that, left Sasuke yearning.

He was trying his best to keep Naruto around, and the best he was getting was lukewarm acknowledgment. With how deeply he felt about the blond, it was no wonder why he was getting distracted. Naruto was vexing, and Sasuke could not easily grapple his emotions for him.

As he moved to his room to change out of his suit, Sasuke sighed the whole way. He wanted to keep Naruto around, but when the blond would ask how his day was, how was he supposed to respond without pissing him off? If Sasuke told the truth, Naruto would be mad. But if Sasuke lied, or kept things vague, they would hardly be able to call each other friends.

'Difficult day at work. Sounds like your day went much better than mine,' Sasuke texted.

Sasuke couldn't explain the knot in his stomach that formed as he stared at his message exchange with Naruto. How were they supposed to even be friends if he couldn't share with the blond his troubles? As the minutes ticked by, the mafia boss couldn't help but think about how much he'd have to keep from Naruto to avoid getting the other upset.

Perhaps it would be better if they were nothing more than friends.

. . . . .

Naruto half-scoffed and half-sighed as he stared at Sasuke's response, then he stood up from the couch and headed to the kitchen to start on dinner. Of _course_ Sasuke couldn't say much. Other than pissing off Naruto, the blond worked for Danzo, the Uchiha family's _enemy_.

Danzo was definitely not a man to be trifled with. Even Konohamaru understood that, which was why he'd taken the fall for his disappearance at the zoo. And since he left the Shimura household just a few hours prior, all Naruto could think about was how much knowledge Konohamaru had about his adoptive father's _business_.

How much did _Sasuke_ know when they were kids?

It wasn't until Naruto was finished draining a small pot of elbow pasta that he set his cooking aside and mustered enough courage to text Sasuke.

'How old were you when you found out about the family business?'

. . . . .

Sasuke lay in bed, stripped down to only a pair of deep maroon boxer briefs, as he stared at his phone. He couldn't fathom what line of thought Naruto was following to spur that question out of him. Something was weighing on the blond.

Instead of racking his brain to figure out the best way to word his response, Sasuke simply called Naruto.

" _Hello?"_

"What's on your mind?" Sasuke asked, genuinely curious.

There was a slight pause and some shuffling on the other line, and after some moments, Naruto finally answered, " _Nothing really...I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately."_

"Uh-oh," Sasuke joked, trying to keep the mood light as he poked a little fun at the blond.

" _Hey, asshole, shut the fuck up."_

Clearly, Naruto wasn't in the mood. But the tense air dissipated a little when Naruto sighed in resignation.

"We were eleven when I started to realize what my parents actually did when we were in school," Sasuke said, feeling his heart wrench at the sound of Naruto's deflation, "I didn't realize what was actually going on until we were fourteen though."

Naruto let out a "hm", as if thinking.

Sasuke continued when the blond didn't reply, "You were actually the one who opened my eyes to what my family was doing, you know. My parents, Itachi—" Sasuke swallowed hard at the thought of his family, "they always tried to keep me in the dark about it."

When the silence continued on the other line, Sasuke pulled his phone away from his ear and looked at the screen.

"Hello? Naruto?"

. . . . .

The blond's hand shook as he set the wooden spoon down on the copper spoon rest next to the stovetop. He turned off the stove and grabbed his phone before setting himself down on the couch. Naruto could feel his appetite waning as Sasuke called out to him on the other line.

So there was a possibility that Sasuke would've been kept ignorant of the infamous Uchiha family business? The thought did not sit well with the blond.

"Okay, thanks," Naruto said, half-regretting having tried to sate his curiosity and wanting to end the call before his stomach decided to empty itself completely.

" _Wait,"_ Sasuke said almost immediately, " _Naruto, please, I—don't hang up."_

Despite every fiber in his being pulling at Naruto to hang up already, to stop the pain and the nausea coursing through him, the blond remained on the line. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to even his breathing.

"Sasuke, what are we doing?" Naruto said quietly when he finally calmed down.

" _What do you mean?"_

The confusion was evident in Sasuke's voice. But there was also...fear? Naruto kept himself from trying to identify what else he heard in the other's voice and continued.

Naruto sighed, "I mean, why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we trying to restart something that's broken?"

A pause. The anger in Sasuke's voice was evident when he finally replied, his voice cool and controlled, " _I never wanted us to break up, you know. You're the one who left, Naruto."_

"You're the one who fucking **lied** to me, Sasuke!" the blond yelled back, clutching at the front of his shirt.

" _I'm sorry I lied,"_ Sasuke said, his voice still eerily calm, " _but I never wanted you to leave me."_

Naruto shot up from the couch, his fist shaking as he tried to keep his voice from carrying to his neighbors' apartments, "Bullshit! That's bullshit and you know it. If you didn't want me out of your life, you wouldn't have snuck around building another life that **didn't** involve me!"

" _I wanted to tell you, but you were in your first semester of college, Naruto. You were doing so well at Sand Uni, and I didn't want to mess that up for you."_

The blond didn't even know when he'd started to pace, but his legs carried him through the apartment, back and forth, back and forth. When he accidentally bumped into his furniture, pushing chairs out of the way and knocking himself hard against the kitchen counter, Naruto paid no mind. He was fucking _livid_.

It had been hard for Naruto to walk away. It wasn't that he was heartless, or that he didn't care about Sasuke; by the time they parted, the blond had been a mess. Sure, he had done well academically during his first year at Sand, but it was at the cost of forgoing socialization.

What Sasuke didn't know was that Naruto had made a total of one friend that year. The blond had been so wrought with worry over Sasuke that the only person he ever interacted with regularly was his roommate, Gaara.

Naruto didn't know if he'd ever get around to admitting all that to Sasuke, and that uncertainty pained him as much as it angered him.

It just wasn't fair.

"You keep going on as if _we_ didn't have plans that involved each other. Sasuke, you **shut me out** of your life, and I'm supposed to think that you still _wanted_ me?"

Sasuke quickly fended for himself, " _I should have talked to you about taking over the family business. I should have told you what was happening instead of lying about it. But you know I would've done anything for you. I'd_ still _do anything for you if it meant I could have you in my life."_

Naruto shook his head, though he knew the other wouldn't be able to see him.

"Don't tell me that, Sasuke," the blond said as his voice broke, stopping to grip the back of the couch as tears threatened to pour from his eyes, "Don't tell me that when you were the one who pushed me away."

The voice on the other line was quiet, but it boomed through the silence of the apartment, " _Why are you so vehemently against the idea that I cared about you when we were together? That I was_ happy _with you?"_

" **Why?** " Naruto let out a bitter laugh, "You just let me walk out of your life five years ago, Sasuke. Forget what you promised me. Despite all that big talk about 'letting the business die', you just couldn't turn away from it all. Keeping that bullshit going was more important than keeping me in your life."

" _I had no choice,"_ Sasuke choked out.

"Yes, you did," Naruto replied, the tears falling freely now, "You did, but I wasn't what you chose. It took me years to accept that fact. Even now, I realize I still haven't gotten over it."

A somber silence fell between them, and it wasn't until Sasuke started speaking, in an uncharacteristically soft, almost meek, voice, that the shittiness of it all hit Naruto.

" _...I didn't want to let you go, Naruto. I love you, and I've never stopped loving you."_

Again, Naruto shook his head, tears continuing to fall down his cheeks. It was like the dam keeping his emotions at bay suddenly burst, letting out all the pain, anguish, and anger he felt about the situation and towards Sasuke.

"Don't, Sasuke," Naruto said, voice shaking, trying to ignore the hot, searing pain in his chest, "Don't tell me that you still love me. We can't even have one phone call without arguing."

" _No matter how many times we argue, I'll still love you. But tell me, Naruto—do_ _ **you**_ _still love me? If you don't, and you want me to leave you alone, I will. But I need you to tell me the truth."_

Naruto could only stand there in silence, all of a sudden hyper-aware of the fact that his breathing was coming in heavy and his phone pressed too hard to his ear. _Did he_ still love Sasuke? The easy answer was yes. But there were many other feelings brewing in him that complicated matters. While he wanted to simply say yes, Naruto couldn't immediately give in to the other. And yet, the thought of completely shutting out Sasuke from his life again was scary and wholly unpleasant.

After he left Sasuke five years ago, Naruto forced himself to forget. He forced himself to forget about Sasuke and all the little things that cumulated his love for the brunet—that lovely, pale, smooth skin; those kissable pink lips; soft, silky, dark threads of hair; the way the corners of his eyes would crinkle during those rare moments of laughter; the gentle, yet forceful, passion the brunet expressed when they made love. Naruto forgot it all, all for the sake of self-preservation, until all the pain and all the emotions he felt about Sasuke faded away into faint memories.

It was only when he saw Sasuke in the flesh again that all those repressed feelings came rushing back again, perhaps in fuller force than before. Naruto never fully grappled with what he felt towards Sasuke, never having forgiven and only wanting to forget.

He was a mess, and he would need time to sort himself out.

"I don't know," Naruto admitted finally, his voice shaky, "but seeing you after so long—" he let out a long, shaky breath, "it brought up a lot of unsettled feelings. Both good and bad."

Naruto waited for Sasuke's response, hoping the other would understand.

" _I understand, Naruto,"_ the tenor voice on the other line said, sounding somewhat relieved but also pained, " _If you need me to wait, then I'll wait."_

"Thank you," Naruto responded quietly.

Then silence fell over them like a heavy blanket. It was like the fire that had sparked between them immediately extinguished into nothing more than harmless ashes. The way their argument had de-escalated so quickly both relieved and alarmed Naruto. They both remained on the line for a few minutes, neither wanting to be the first to hang up. It wasn't until Naruto heard Sasuke's steady breathing that he called out to the other.

"Sasuke?"

" _Mm?"_

He sounded like he was drifting off to sleep. Naruto relaxed his brows and shoulders, not realizing how tense he'd gotten. Imagining a sleepy Sasuke made the blond feel...comforted.

"You should go to bed."

" _Mm,"_ came the reply, then there was a yawn, " _I suppose I should."_

"Goodnight, then."

" _Goodnight, Naruto."_


	5. Break-In

**Author's** **Note:** Whoops. I know I said updates were going to resume the normal upload schedule on Saturdays. Been botching the schedule a bit recently, but I intend on the schedule going back to normal this Saturday. Thanks for your patience, loves.

Hopefully the lack of sex isn't turning you away; there's plenty coming up soon. Just need to be patient as the story builds up—promise!

Much love to all of you who've left reviews so far! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

* * *

The quiet chatter of the funeral home was almost too much for Sasuke to handle. He stood off to the side and cast his eyes downward to avoid others' stares (and some glares). Unlike many of the others, Sasuke held a stern, solemn expression, his dark eyes never giving way to tears.

Most people knew who he was and avoided him, which suited Sasuke just fine; he was there to pay his respects to Komaza and then leave. The only ones who dared to approach him were a few children asking who he was and Komaza's wife, Sachiko.

When she sidled up next to him, clutching a damp handkerchief to her chest, Sasuke straightened up but didn't dare look over to her. He couldn't bear the weight of the guilt that sat on his shoulders, never mind speak to the recently widowed woman.

"I realized you've been here for some time. Thank you for coming, Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, trying not to think too hard about the quiver in the velveteen voice. He shut his eyes for a moment and recollected himself, reopening his eyes and moving his gaze over to her when he was ready.

"My condolences, Mrs. Nakamura. Your husband was a good man."

Mrs. Nakamura sighed and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief. Sasuke reached into his suit jacket pocket and procured a clean, light blue, polka-dotted handkerchief, gently handing it to her as she took it gracefully.

"Please, call me Sachiko," Mrs. Nakamura—Sachiko—insisted.

"Of course, Sachiko," Sasuke acknowledged.

Silence fell between them for a little while, and people would walk by and give Sachiko a solemn look, and if they were feeling bold to approach the two of them, a reassuring touch on the arm. Finally, Sachiko clenched the handkerchief in her hand.

"Komaza wasn't always a good man," Sachiko said very quietly, watching the others to make sure no one was listening in on them, "He would stay out late almost every night, drinking and gambling way our savings. I was worried about our future, and whether I'd even want to stay with him. But that changed when he joined the Uchiha family."

Sasuke said nothing, unsure of how to respond. It seemed Sachiko hadn't wanted any real sort of response from him—just only wanting him to listen. So she went on.

"When he came home after his first day, you wouldn't believe it was the same man I married. Komaza—he wouldn't stop talking about you. I never pointed it out because it would have embarrassed him, but he looked up to you. Before I knew it, he started coming home after work and spent time with the children, wanting to emulate the power and confidence you have so he could pass that along to our children."

"You have children?" Sasuke asked, trying to mask his surprise.

"Yes, a girl and a boy. Kiyoko's six, and Eiji just turned four. They're settling down for a nap, since we'll be here for a while longer."

Though he'd only spent a handful of days in Komaza's company, he never pegged the rambunctious, burly man to having kids. Of course, he hadn't pegged the man to having a beautiful, strong-willed wife either.

But the fact that Komaza was leaving a wife and two children only weighed the guilt on Sasuke more. And Sachiko placed no blame on her husband's death on him.

"Your family will be taken care of, Sachiko."

Sachiko turned to Sasuke, her eyes widened slightly as she responded quickly, "You've already taken care of the funeral arrangements. I couldn't ask you to do more."

Sasuke held firm, "Please let me do this, Sachiko. You have two young children to consider. At least until they've grown older. I...know what it's like to lose your parents at a young age. They're going to need your undivided love and attention, and it's easier to do that if you're not worrying about finances."

He realized he'd wavered slightly while he bared a bit of his own emotions to Sachiko. Though the woman's initial shock had caused her to step back for a moment, she was now relaxed with a gentle, caring expression and her eyes watery.

"I see what Komaza liked about you. Thank you, Mr. Uchiha."

Sachiko had reached over and grasped Sasuke's hands in hers, holding them to her chest with an earnest expression on her face as she cried openly.

"Call me Sasuke."

oooOOooo

Blame it on the cumulation of lack of sleep or his emotionally-draining conversation with Sasuke the night prior, or a mix of both, but when Naruto woke up the next day, he was in an irritable mood. No amount of cheering up that Konohamaru attempted could crack even the semblance of a genuine smile. The best that Naruto could manage was a half-hearted lift of the corner of his mouth.

Luckily, the kid hadn't said anything in the morning when Naruto dropped him off at school, but as the day went on, Naruto felt no relief to his bad mood.

It was early evening, and Naruto was in the middle of correcting Konohamaru's grammar; it wasn't the kid's strong suit, so the blond had to take his time to _really_ explain the difference between certain homonyms.

As Naruto looked over the next iteration of Konohamaru's writing assignment, Konohamaru quietly stared up at the blond with those large, brown eyes of his. Naruto continued looking over the papers in his hands as he called the kid out.

"You've been staring at me all day, Kono," Naruto stated, finishing the sentence he was reading and finally shifting his gaze over to Konohamaru.

They held their stares quietly, but Naruto willed himself to keep neutral and Konohamaru didn't push. Naruto felt guilt begin to eat at him; whatever his personal issues were, the blond shouldn't let himself be so easily readable as to cause Konohamaru to worry about him.

"You've been in a bad mood," Konohamaru replied simply.

At that, Naruto forced himself to relax his shoulders and soften his expression. It was strange to think about how much Konohamaru had matured since they first met one another. He'd been loud, obnoxious, and a downright troublemaker, but this was a totally different kid sitting in front of him.

In any case, the blond knew he'd been curt with Konohamaru all day, and it wasn't fair that the kid was on the receiving end of his mood. Not that Naruto had been mean or anything, but he was just unpleasant company for the moment.

"Sorry, Kono," Naruto apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he averted his gaze, "It's been a stressful few days."

Konohamaru swung his legs to the side of his chair and draped one arm over the back. He'd moved his gaze elsewhere, like Naruto, and rested his chin on his arm.

"It's okay. You don't always have to be in a good mood for my sake, Naruto," Konohamaru mumbled, then turned pink when he went on, "But if you need help or want someone to talk to, just let me know."

If Naruto hadn't already been in such a serious mood, he might've laughed wholeheartedly at Konohamaru's attempt at cheering him up. Instead, the blond smiled slightly and ruffled the kid's hair. Konohamaru was really trying, for his sake, and the sentiment warmed him.

"Thanks, Kono. I appreciate that."

oooOOooo

The large manila envelopes and its contents sat scattered on Danzo's desk; there were photos of Sasuke and Naruto each, pulled from their passports, and tons of papers. It took Danzo a mere half hour to sift through Sasuke's slim dossier, and he started to pack it away to start combing through Naruto's heftier file.

As expected from someone like Sasuke Uchiha, whose family connections essentially allowed him a laissez-faire lifestyle and operation, his paperwork was pristine; not even any speeding tickets were recorded. Naruto, on the other hand...

Danzo picked up the rest of the documents that belonged to Naruto's dossier and he plucked out a page, shifting his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose as he inspected the document.

Naruto had been adopted by Iruka Umino at the age of eight and shortly after was enrolled at Konoha Academy, where the city's elite attended—including Sasuke Uchiha. That was their supposed first meeting, but Danzo was skeptical; how would an inner-city teacher like Umino manage to scrounge up enough funding to enroll Naruto at the Academy?

On top of that, Naruto had been adopted from Suna, which was in an entirely different province than from Konoha. To Danzo, all of it seemed too much of a coincidence, but he didn't have enough to prove otherwise. He'd need to get his men to dig deeper.

The hardened man continued sifting through the sizeable stack of papers, noting nothing of great importance (there were a number of pages dedicated to each family that had fostered Naruto), until he reached the section he'd been hoping to find.

 _Juvenile criminal records._

These documents were generally difficult to dig up after a minor became of age; their records were locked when they became adults, becoming nearly impossible for the police to access and having no bearing in court should the police somehow manage to get their hands on them. Danzo had paid handsomely for the dossiers on his two persons of interest, and at the very least, he'd gain something valuable from digging through Naruto's past.

As he looked through the pages on Naruto's (juvenile) criminal records, Danzo felt his pulse pick up and sat up in his seat. Apparently his employee was hardly an angel in his younger years, with allegations (though no charges, surprisingly) of every type of crime you'd imagine a young, troubled man would find himself in. Vandalism, drug possession, theft, aggravated assault, murder (which had been ruled self-defense)...the list was a surprising mix of violence and general mischief.

The man put the papers down and stood from his desk, straightening out his suit and looking out the window as he did so. While his initial intention had been to find a link between Sasuke and Naruto that he could exploit, Danzo found something else altogether. Naruto was proving to be more and more interesting, and Danzo wondered how much of the "old Naruto" he could rouse out of the blond man.

It probably wouldn't take much. He'd noticed how irritated and on edge Naruto was lately, which would give him more than enough opportunity to try to push the blond into a corner.

He already had a plan in mind, but he'd need to move soon.

oooOOooo

Just as Naruto finished up his tutoring session with Konohamaru, one of Danzo's men knocked on the door to the study and informed the blond that he was to stop into Danzo's office.

Anytime Naruto was called into Danzo's office, the blond knew to look beyond the surface of their interaction. Like the last time he visited Danzo, for example; though their exchanged words were fairly innocuous, Naruto knew the man was threatening him to focus on his job.

Today was likely to be no different, so Naruto steeled himself as he knocked on the light oak wood door and waited for the affirmed invitation.

"Sir," Naruto greeted flatly as he stepped into the office, standing up straight with his hands at his sides, "you wanted to see me?"

To his surprise, Danzo was standing, his back to him and looking out the window. Unlike usual, it didn't take long for his boss to acknowledge him. Most times when he'd come in, Danzo would make him wait a few minutes, causing Naruto to sweat a little in the meantime.

"Yes," Danzo said as he turned around and sat down in his chair before gesturing for Naruto to do the same, "I wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the way you've handled Konohamaru. You're a smart man, Naruto, and highly observant to what my son needs."

As Naruto settled into the leather armchair (that he seemed to now be getting _too_ familiar with), he paused at the compliment. It hadn't been long ago that Danzo had _threatened_ him for what he assumed was him failing to do his job, and now his boss was praising him?

"Er, thank you, sir," Naruto said, not sure of how else to reply, "but I'm just doing my job."

Danzo stared at Naruto quietly, the silence falling heavily over them, "In my _line of work_ , it's difficult to find men who are smart, motivated, _and_ reliable. Usually I'm struggling to find any capable with just even _two_ of those things."

The way the conversation was going, which was being completely led by Danzo, did not feel comforting. If Naruto's experience told him anything, it was that the man before him was looking to "promote" him. Or off him. It was a bit of a toss-up at this point.

Naruto decided remaining quiet was his best bet.

When Danzo swiveled his chair to the console behind him and placed two crystal tumblers on his desk to pour a generous amount of amber liquid into each glass, Naruto placed his bets on his boss wanting to promote him. At that, the blond man let out a quiet breath he'd been holding. Why waste good liquor on a soon-to-be dead man?

Naruto accepted the tumbler from Danzo and sat back in his chair, taking only a small sip as he watched Danzo before him.

The man was greying, but his posture was strong and Danzo stood a good few inches taller than Naruto. Other than the crisscrossed scars on his chin and the stern look in his eyes, you might not have realized the man was the boss of a small, but still rather formidable, crime family. The Shimura family had always been a tight-knit group, as far as Naruto knew, but it was also clear that Danzo was aging. He'd no family, never having married, aside from his adoptive son Konohamaru.

"No need to look so nervous, Naruto!" Danzo laughed as he took another sip of whiskey, "I wanted to gauge your interest in a promotion. From babysitter to something a little more...dynamic."

Though Naruto's suspicions were now confirmed, it didn't give him any comfort. Danzo _clearly_ found something out about Naruto, perhaps something from his past (at the thought of which Naruto felt his stomach churn with queasiness), and was now trying to push his agenda—whatever it was.

All evidence was pointing to Naruto getting the fuck out of that office. But he needed to keep his cool.

"Ah, I'm flattered you thought to talk to me about this, Danzo," Naruto started as he rubbed the back of his head, "but I'm actually quite content with where I am now as Konohamaru's caretaker—if that position is still available to me, that is."

As Danzo assessed him quietly, Naruto took a nervous sip of his whiskey, wetting his lips and letting the cool burn distract him.

"Of course it is," Danzo said finally as he sat back in his chair, "You never lost your position in the first place. I appreciate your frankness with me, Naruto. That's yet another quality about you that's hard to find in other men."

Naruto swallowed hard as he nodded. It was clear that, while Danzo was letting him decline his offer, it wouldn't be long before he'd try again.

The blond stood from his chair and set the tumbler on Danzo's desk, eager to leave as soon as he could.

"If that's all, sir, I'd like to be getting home."

When Danzo said nothing else, Naruto made his way to the door, only to stop to catch Danzo's last words before he exited.

"My offer remains on the table, Naruto, should you find yourself wanting a career change."

Naruto gave nothing more than a deft nod and quickly stepped out of Danzo's office, shutting the oak door behind him. He leaned heavily on the wood slab and let out a quivering breath, then quickly straightened out his suit before leaving the Shimura household for the night.

Things were getting complicated, and Naruto had a feeling he wouldn't be able to run away from it all this time.

oooOOooo

When Kakashi barged into Sasuke's home office without knocking, the brunet knew something was wrong. Instead of asking an unnecessary barrage of questions to the man, he simply watched as his right-hand man grabbed the remote and turned the television on.

"— _continues to investigate the bombing of the Ansen Research Facility in NoPa. No confirmations on whether there were any deaths—_ "

Sasuke rubbed at his eyes and sat back in his chair. The Ansen family, which owned the Ansen Research Facility (known as ARF), was an allied group, part of the same crime syndicate that the Uchiha family was a part of, Akatsuki. If their location had been bombed, then the rumors of stirrings in the crime underworld were not unfound.

And that meant plenty of headaches for Sasuke to deal with.

"Kakashi, get as much information as you can on that bombing. I need every detail you can find."

"Yes, sir."

When Kakashi left the office, Sasuke dialed his phone and pressed it to his ear, his eyes still glued to the television. He wanted—no, _needed_ —to find out whether Yahiko Ansen, the head of the Ansen family, was still alive. No one picked up on the other end, his call immediately going to voicemail. Sasuke grit his teeth and dialed another number.

" _Hello."_

"Hello Konan," Sasuke said.

If he didn't know the woman any better, Sasuke might not have trained himself to listen for her breathing. Despite her seemingly calm greeting, her breathing was erratic; she was panicked. And possibly with company.

Sasuke knew to keep his side of the call to the point, and Konan would respond in her friendly, cryptic way. He closed his eyes and imagined the woman sitting somewhere, looking as calm as if the day were any other.

"I take it you're well?"  
Are you okay?

" _Never better. The weather's been warm at home these days. At Yaya's, too."_  
 _Horrible. Cops have been showing up at my headquarters recently. At Yahiko's too._

Unsure of what the cops' appearance meant, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was always known to have the upper hand, always omniscient to the going-ons in Konoha. But as Danzo pushed to power and roused lesser crime groups to being more active, it was getting harder and harder to keep tabs on everything. The sudden bombing at the ARF was evident of that fact.

"Is Yaya home to enjoy the warm weather? Or did they take a vacation like they said they would?"  
Was Yahiko at ARF when it got bombed? Or were they somewhere else?

There was a pause, but Sasuke knew better than to think that Konan didn't know what he meant.

" _I'm not sure. You know how Yaya gets when the weather's warm."  
Not sure. Yahiko might have laid low when he realized cops were sniffing around._

So Yahiko's whereabouts were still up in the air. He was more of the paranoid type, which Yahiko long since acknowledged held him back from building the Ansen family. Yahiko never trusted anyone except himself, so even if he had managed to get a tip-off about the bombing and went underground, it'd be a few days before they would receive confirmation on whether he was alive or dead.

Sasuke felt the heaviness in the air, even through their phone call. He wanted to offer Konan comforting words, but he knew she wouldn't want them. Instead, she veered the course of their conversation and threw a curveball at the mafia boss.

" _You also might want to keep your boy toy at arm's length."_

Thankful that he was alone in his office, Sasuke cleared his throat as his face warmed. If Konan knew about Naruto, then it was likely the other families knew as well. Or at least had an inkling of what was going on.

"What have you heard?" he asked simply, not wanting to confirm or deny anything.

" _Word gets around. The daisies aren't going unnoticed, Uchiha."_

Yet again, Sasuke was thankful he was alone as he cheeks warmed. No matter how she found out, word _was_ , in fact, getting around. He would need to be careful in the future, for both his and Naruto's sake.

"Business must be slow if _flower deliveries_ are being traced," Sasuke replied.

" _I'm serious. The others," Konan cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "the others are starting to ask questions. They know your boy toy works for Danzo, so they're getting suspicious about your link to Danzo...unless that's what you were intending."_

It was just like Konan to be honest with Sasuke, but to also hold him to a standard of cunning that most others had only reserved for his elder brother. For that reason, Sasuke held a certain fondness for the blue-haired woman. And not to mention, she just gave him a great idea to play with.

"I'll be more careful in the future," Sasuke said, not wanting to give anything away.

When they hung up, Konan seemed in better spirits, though she was clearly worried about Yahiko. There wasn't anything they could do about it other than wait, so Sasuke made no further mention of the bombing and Konan didn't bring the conversation back to it.

Sasuke sat quietly at his desk, deep in thought about Konan's warning to him concerning Naruto. Of course, they hadn't been the most careful in meeting up, so the mafia boss figured they'd be found out sooner or later. It was, however, the extent of how far word had gotten that concerned him.

He wasn't worried about Konan taking advantage of the knowledge, nor any of the other families in Akatsuki, but people like Danzo would salivate at any opportunity to gain an advantage over him.

Sasuke had many resources and ways of keeping himself safe, so he wasn't all too concerned about his safety. But Naruto, on the other hand, was a bit of an open, arguably easy, target. Though Naruto had quite the experience with fighting (having gotten into street style fights as a teen as well as taking up MMA), the blond was associated with both Danzo _and_ Sasuke, and, again, while Sasuke was certain no one else in Akatsuki would do anything to harm Naruto, he wasn't so sure about the innumerable other families and groups that vied for the Uchiha power.

Then again, it wasn't as if they were going out publicly as a couple. Naruto could simply be categorized as "just another fuck"—not that the blond was in any way "just another fuck" to Sasuke (it would just be simpler for them if that's how their relationship was perceived). It wouldn't completely nullify the risk, but Sasuke wasn't known to be particularly intimate with his partners other than physically.

Obviously he wouldn't be able to visit Naruto again anytime soon, not without careful planning beforehand or risk getting found out. But he needed to send word to the blond to be careful. Sasuke picked up his phone and shot a quick text.

'People are starting to ask questions about us. Stay safe.'

To which he received, ' _Would help if you stopped sending flowers.'_

Right, the daily daisy delivery. Not that Sasuke had forgotten, but Konan had made a fuss about them as well. The brunet honestly wanted to keep the deliveries going until Naruto told him to back off, and now that he had...he'd acquiesce.

'You're right. I'll make sure tonight's is the last one.'

After that, Sasuke received no further texts from Naruto. He didn't put up much of a fuss about it, thinking back on their conversation and not wanting to push the blond too hard.

If he wanted to be truly honest with himself, Sasuke was frustrated. He wanted nothing more than to take the blond in his arms and never let him go, but he knew it was wishful thinking. Not only had he hurt Naruto in ways he couldn't imagine, but they were also in precarious positions—hardly suitable for any semblance of a relationship. Even if Naruto was just a regular civilian with no ties to the crime underworld except for Sasuke, the brunet knew he'd never want to bring the blond into danger and would willingly let Naruto leave him.

What broke him was the fact that, despite his resolve to allow Naruto to walk away from him five years ago, Naruto had found his way back into the gritty scene of Konoha and was _still_ hesitating to be with Sasuke. It was as if everything he'd allowed to happen those years ago was for naught.

Of course, the brunet knew he wasn't completely free of fault from letting Naruto walk away. The fact of the matter was that Sasuke was _ashamed_ and so guilt-ridden at having chosen to take over the family business that he avoided ever bringing it up to Naruto. What could he have said that wouldn't have turned Naruto away from him? And _when_ would it have been the right time to talk about it? It was inevitable that Naruto would choose to leave him. At the very least, for him to say nothing and pretend all was well five years ago, Sasuke could hold onto the blond for as long as he could manage.

But the Sasuke then had been immature and somewhat stupid, deciding just a few weeks after his birthday and before they were due to start their first semesters of college, that he was going to take on his family business _alone_. The Sasuke now would have been upfront about it and would have sat them both down for a long conversation, with the hope that Naruto would stay with him despite the risks. Even if they ultimately decided to separate after that, at least neither would be stuck in the purgatory-like state their relationship was currently in.

The only consolation of their messy predicament was the fact that Naruto was sorting his feelings out. Sasuke knew where he stood and how he felt about Naruto, but it seemed the blond hadn't taken much time in the past five years to think about it. Typical Naruto.

oooOOooo

Naruto sat back on his couch and stared at the single vase on his coffee table; it'd been a week since the last daisy delivery, and so the flowers were slowly dwindling in numbers with no new ones to replace them.

The blond went through the past week refocused after Sasuke texted him that warning. Naruto couldn't afford to let his guard down, not with his connection to Danzo and Sasuke. He understood the position he was in, which made it all the more important that he didn't put anyone in needless danger.

But he wanted to see Sasuke. It'd been a few weeks since Sasuke admitted that he _still loved_ Naruto, and Naruto still had no idea what he should do or say in response. When he was home, he'd meditate for hours on end, still coming no closer to an answer.

On the one hand, Naruto _really_ loved and missed Sasuke, so getting back with him would be the easy answer. They'd need some time to reacclimate with one another, but Naruto had no doubts that they'd be able to do that with no problems. However, the issue with getting back with Sasuke was the fact that Sasuke was a large name in his line of work, and that line of work was something that went against Naruto's personal values. He'd hung out with the wrong crowds in his teen years, and Naruto admitted that was a dark time in his life. What would it mean if he were to associate himself with one of the big players in the big leagues?

The other issue was the fact that he worked for Danzo. Yes, the man was also a crime boss, but Naruto's work was unrelated to the seedy business Danzo conducted. Naruto was merely a caretaker for his son, that's all.

After Sasuke's reaction, however, that distinction didn't seem to matter. Naruto was working for a crime boss, regardless of his responsibilities.

Naruto wasn't going to stop taking care of Konohamaru though, so he supposed it would be too much of a conflict of interest if he continued working for Danzo _and_ fraternized with Sasuke. Unless there was a possibility of the two of them talking it out...the blond shook his head, realizing it was highly naive of him to think that two mafia bosses would sit down to talk about something like that (they both had much better things to deal with), let alone let Naruto do as he pleased.

Feeling somewhat cross, the blond snuggled himself deeper into his couch and pressed his knees to his chest. He sighed and sat there for a little while, hating that he could think about nothing except the enticing idea of getting back together with Sasuke.

But the blond jumped in his seat when three hard thumps came at his door. Naruto stood from the couch and quietly made his way to the door, looking through the peephole to find four large men standing on the other side. They were all dressed in suits.

At the sight of them, Naruto's heart began to race. _Who the hell were these guys?_ And what did they want? Were they here to kidnap him, or worse?

In any case, Naruto wasn't about to find out. He set the door chain quietly in its place, hoping it would slow them down, if even only for a second. That second could mean a world of difference.

"Who's there?" Naruto asked loudly, hoping his voice carried as he stepped away from the door.

When he heard no answer, Naruto took that as a sign to haul his ass to the fire escape and leave his apartment. As he shut his bedroom door behind him, he heard a _boom_ and then the sound of his front door slamming open. Just then, he threw the window open and launched himself onto the iron-wrought fire escape.

After Naruto jumped down from the ladder and onto the ground, one of the men looked out the window and spotted him. Naruto dashed off, not wanting to wait around, and rounded the corner so that he was out of sight.

"Fuck, my phone."

The blond continued running down the street, not caring in the least that he was in his socks and loungewear. There were better things to worry about than his attire at the moment. But there was a slight chill in the early spring air, which Naruto promptly ignored as he continued running.

When he figured he was far away enough, Naruto threw himself around the corner again and sighed in relief when he saw the public phone. It looked worse for wear, but when he picked up the receiver and heard a dial tone, Naruto couldn't care less about what it looked like.

" _911, what's your emergency?"_

"My-my apartment. The guys broke down my door. I went out the fire escape but I think they're still there."

It wasn't until he started trying to explain himself that Naruto was processing what was happening. And that was when he started to freak out.

" _Okay, sir, take a deep breath. Are you in a safe location?"_

"I—I don't know. I ran down the street. I don't think they're following me." Yet.

" _All right, don't panic. What is your apartment's address?"_

Naruto answered all the dispatcher's questions as best he could, but he hadn't gotten a good look at the men nor did he know if they had weapons. All he knew was that they'd used some kind of small explosives to help them break the door in.

Since Naruto wasn't sure whether he was safe where he was, he hung up with the dispatcher and took the long way around to the bodega he frequented, not wanting to retrace his steps just in case. From the bodega, he had a clear view of his apartment building and waited from behind the rack of potato chips.

After a minute of staking out his own building, three police cars drive up to the front of the building, lights flashing. Naruto watched as the first pair of cops head into his building, the second pair scope the outside of the building, and the third pair stood by the cars, waiting on standby.

"You, no shoes! Yeah, you!"

Naruto turned, shocking the familiar shopkeeper who was attempting to shoo him out for his lack of shoes.

"Sorry, Gerald. I was just about to leave."

Before Gerald could say anything else, Naruto exited the bodega and headed over to the cops. When he approached, the pair on standby stared at him.

"I-I'm the one who called. Apartment 5-C," Naruto said.

. . . . .

After he walked up to the cops and confirmed that it was his apartment that had been broken into, they took his statement on the spot (after Naruto insisted he'd prefer not having to go all the way to the precinct to do so) and allowed him upstairs to grab a few things for the night; they'd have to close off access to his apartment while they investigated the place further.

When the blond looked around his place to gather up his things, it looked...strangely pristine for a break-in. The metal door had indeed had its hinges exploded off the frame and was hanging by the door chain that Naruto had set in place before he ran. Other than that, though, nothing had been taken aside from his phone and laptop, so thankfully Naruto was able to grab a change of clothes, his keys, and wallet.

"Mr. Uzumaki, do you have anywhere you could stay for the night? Any family or friends in the area?"

At the cop's questioning, Naruto hesitated for a moment. The first two options that popped into his head were Danzo's and Sasuke's—both of which were _out of the question_ for obvious reasons. He could always go to Iruka's, but he preferred not having to bother his foster father so late in the night if he could help it. The only other choice was to get a hotel room for the night and figure out the rest the following day.

"I...I can go to a hotel for the night."

The leader of the six-man cop squad assigned one of them to escort Naruto to the hotel. When Naruto insisted on staying in King's Court Hotel in Six Paths, the ritzy neighborhood in the heart of Konoha, the cop assigned to him—Officer Shiranui—shot him a strange look but said nothing.

After some argument about whether Officer Shiranui was going to drop off Naruto or simply trail him in his cruiser, Naruto finally won and led the way. He drove into the parking deck of the hotel and surrendered his keys to the valet, pulling his weekender bag out from the backseat.

As he entered the lobby of King's Court with Officer Shiranui walking beside him, Naruto, dressed in a pair of grey jogger pants, a white t-shirt, maroon cardigan, and slick white & blue running shoes, tried not to think too hard about how strange the pair of them looked coming in. The receptionist who checked Naruto in gave them a quick once-over, his eyebrow twitching as if holding back his curiosity. But the receptionist said nothing as Naruto handed over his credit card and ID.

As they rode the elevator up to the third floor, Naruto grasped the long strap of his weekender bag hanging over his shoulder and made his way to his room with Officer Shiranui in tow. The hallways, lined with plush carpet, were completely silent, save for the pair's shuffling through the halls. Naruto wondered if hotels were always this quiet, or if he was just more hyper aware of the fact since he was on edge.

"Fancy place," Office Shiranui whistled.

Naruto felt somewhat comforted with the fact that Officer Shiranui was escorting him to his room; while it was standard police procedure, the blond knew he'd be a mess had he traversed through the quiet hallways himself.

When they got to his room, Naruto waved the key fob in front of the wireless receptor and they stepped inside. Before they took more than a few steps in, Officer Shiranui held an arm out, signalling for Naruto to stay put, as the brown-haired man did a quick sweep of the place.

"Thanks," Naruto said sheepishly as the other man gave the clear.

"Can never be too careful," the cop replied. Then after a pause, he said, "You should try to get some rest. We'll hopefully have the clear to let you back in as soon as tomorrow evening. Since your phone's missing, call me around five o'clock and I should have an update for you. But if you need anything before then, just give me a ring."

The cop pulled out a business card from the front breast pocket of his uniform and handed it over to Naruto.

 _Genma Shiranui  
Detective  
Konoha Police Department_

Naruto thanked the cop again and bid him goodbye before shutting the door, setting the door lock and security bar in place. He turned and leaned heavily against the door, staring into the room that he was staying in for the night.

It was certainly worth the amount he was paying for the one night's stay; the king-size bed was covered in pure white linens with a lush-looking gold velvet runner draped across the foot of the bed. The large television sat in its Queensland maple console, and next to it sat a matching, beautiful wooden desk topped with a slab of marble.

But the room decor was hardly something Naruto could appreciate at the moment, so he threw his bag down onto the bench at the foot of the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.

The blond's mind and body were buzzing; when he shut his eyes, he could still feel the tail end of adrenaline flowing through him as he thought about the thugs who'd broken into his place. The fact that only his phone and laptop were taken meant that they had been on the hunt for information. Naruto didn't know what he knew that anyone else would find important. Despite his association with two crime bosses, he wasn't privy to any of their business details (thankfully). Hopefully whoever had sent those men would find themselves running into a dead end.

Naruto stood from the bed and went to get ready to sleep. He didn't want to think anymore, and his body was exhausted. When Naruto finally settled into bed, it took him hours of tossing and turning to get to sleep. And even when he finally managed to fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning, it was hardly a night's worth of rest.


	6. Fret

**Author's Note:** SO sorry this is so late. I was going to post Saturday night but two things happened:

1\. I was having trouble getting this chapter right.

2\. I lost some of my writing when my tablet didn't upload/save the updates to the Google Doc. So I had to rack my brain to recall exactly how I'd written the parts that were missing.

Just a heads up that I won't be posting an update this coming Saturday while I try to catch up on this writing schedule and sort out my non-internet life. Will try to get the next update for you on Sat, Jan 28. Hope you enjoy this in the meantime!

* * *

Naruto needed to get his shit together.

When he picked up Konohamaru for school the morning after the break-in at his apartment, the kid immediately voiced his worries.

"Whoa, what happened to you? You don't look too good, Naruto."

Glad that Danzo wasn't around to hear his son's comment, Naruto cleared his throat and pushed his hands into his pants pockets.

"I'm fine, Kono. Hurry up and get ready, or else you're going to be late."

But Konohamaru was right; he looked horrible and felt it, too. As Konohamaru dashed to the sitting room to grab his pack from the sofa, he yelled over his shoulder.

"Pops said he's going to be taking the day off for a doctor's appointment later today, so take the day off if you need to. I can get Pops to get me from school later."

Naruto gave no response and instead watched as Konohamaru shoved on his dress shoes (to match his school uniform). They headed out the house together, with Naruto sluggishly dragging himself as Konohamaru bounced with every step.

"Seriously, you look like a zombie," Konohamaru said when they got into the car.

He knew he was worrying the kid, but Naruto didn't want to tell Konohamaru about the break-in. As far as Konohamaru knew, he was simply having "a bad day".

After Naruto dropped him off he headed to the dreaded store to get a new phone. A few hours and a few hundred dollars later, the blond walked out of the store with a brand new phone and his contacts synced up. As he sat in his car in the parking lot, Naruto sighed and shut his eyes as he sent his text to Sasuke.

. . . . .

" _Officer Shiranui."_

"Hi, uh, this is Naruto."

" _Hi, Naruto. How are you holding up?"_

"Eh, I've had better," Naruto said lightheartedly, "but I wanted to see if you had an update for me."

" _Mm, not yet. Things have been backed up at the precinct. My colleagues say they should be done by tonight, but I don't want to promise that to you in case something else comes up. Are you in a hurry to get home?"_

Naruto sighed. He figured that would be the case; even with a break-in, the KPD wasn't known to act quickly unless there was an immediate threat. Obviously with the lack of any real damage to the apartment, they had lowered the priority of his case.

Not that he was bitter about it. Naruto was just...frustrated. But he didn't let that show in his voice.

"No, I'm at work now, so I'm not in a hurry. I guess just let me know if I'm in the clear to go home tonight."

" _You got it. I'll hand off your number to my team in case they finish early. Thanks for your patience."_

"Thanks, Officer."

When Naruto hung up the phone and went back to dusting one of the sitting rooms, he heard a cough from the door. Naruto snapped his head to see Danzo at the door, dressed in his usual black suit.

"Everything okay?" the man asked.

Naruto sighed, deciding it was best to just tell the truth (he'd never been a particularly good liar), "My apartment was broken into last night."

Danzo furrowed his brow, stepping towards the blond.

"While you were home? You're okay though?"

Naruto nodded, then said, "I'm fine. Four men in suits showed up at my door and used explosives, I think, to knock my door in. I ran out through the fire escape and called the police. But what's most unsettling is the fact that they took my phone and laptop. Nothing else. My guess is that whoever hired them was looking for information. And possibly wanting to bring me in. If they just wanted to steal my things, they probably wouldn't have sent so many people."

The mafia boss looked thoughtful, though annoyed, which Naruto took as a sign that Danzo was likely not involved in the break-in. Not that he'd _really_ suspected him, but with the past twenty-four hours being as crazy as they were, Naruto was ready to believe anything was possible.

"That's very concerning news. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, Naruto," Danzo said gravely, clasping his hands behind his back.

"I'm still here, unhurt, so I consider myself lucky," Naruto replied, "But I'm worried about how this will affect Konohamaru's safety. If those guys try to get to me while he's with me..."

The look that Danzo trained on him after that had Naruto fidgeting for a moment. The man was always observing. Assessing. But Naruto waited for the other to say his piece; if he knew anything about Danzo, the man was not the type to rush.

"Even when you're in danger, you're thinking about my son's safety."

It wasn't a question, just merely a statement. Naruto still couldn't get a read on his boss's face; mafia bosses really had a way of disarming people with nothing more than a blank, unreadable expression-probably because most people relied on non-verbal cues to understand how the other was reacting to them. But people like Danzo, and usually Sasuke (Naruto realized he was unique with his way of pulling out emotions from his childhood friend), gave others no chance to read them. They always seemed to have the upper hand, with stellar poker faces giving nothing away.

"Yes, sir," Naruto said earnestly, "I'd rather not get him caught up in my troubles if I can help it."

Danzo gave Naruto another calculating look, then finally said, "For the time being, I will have my men escort you and Konohamaru when you go out. And," he paused for a moment, "you are more than welcome to move into the mansion. God knows we have too many empty rooms going to waste around here."

As he realized Danzo's offer, Naruto's eyes widened and he waved his hands in front of him frantically. Him? Live in the Shimura household? The thought sent his mind reeling.

"Stay here? Oh, no, I-I couldn't. I mean, thank you for offering—it's really kind of you to offer—but I..."

Most people tended to ramble on when they were nervous, unsure of how the other person was perceiving them. But Naruto wasn't like most people; as soon as he caught himself rambling, he stopped and allowed for the silence to reign over them again. He needed to keep his cool and think it through properly.

Had he never encountered Sasuke, Naruto might've seriously considered moving in. It would allow him a closer eye on Konohamaru for more hours of the day, which was a huge plus. But now that he had re-established communication with Sasuke, was it wise to move into the Shimura household? He liked his freedom to move about his own place and have whatever guests he liked come over. But if he moved in with Danzo and Konohamaru? The blond would essentially be leashed.

Unlike Danzo, Naruto was bad at leveling his emotions, his hesitation at the offer clear.

"Don't feel obligated to accept, Naruto. I was simply presenting another option to you, should you find yourself needing it."

Naruto wondered if Danzo's reaction would have been different if he were one of his men. Within the mob world, when your boss tells you, "jump", you respond, "how high?" The blond was glad he wasn't in that position with Danzo.

"Well," the blond started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I mean, it's really generous of you to offer, Danzo. But I think I need some time to think about it. Thank you."

The older man nodded and left the room promptly after that, leaving Naruto to himself with his thoughts.

 _What_ in the hell was that all about? First Danzo offered Naruto a promotion, and now was offering him a place to stay. Either he wanted to keep the blond under stricter surveillance or something else was at play—whichever it was, the blond had no idea but would need to be even more cautious with his employer. Naruto scratched the back of his head then re-tied the bandana around his head before going back to dusting the room.

oooOOooo

Sasuke resisted the urge to pace as he stood by the window, biting his tongue and crossing his arms over his chest.

He was an Uchiha, god damn it, and Uchihas _did_ _ **not**_ pace.

He'd been in an important teleconferencing meeting all morning with the other members of Akatsuki to assess the bombing of Ansen Research Facility. No one had heard from Yahiko since the bombing, and Sasuke's men couldn't find hide nor tail of him. It wasn't until the police publicly announced and confirmed they'd found the body of who they believed was Yahiko, "the boss of the infamous Ansen family believed to be linked to a widespread, underground drug ring", that the rest of them had any clue as to his whereabouts. Apparently this time around, the police had worked in a very small, highly selective team of individuals to sift through the rubble—hence the lack of information their way.

" _The cops are getting smarter,"_ Konan had said, trying not to let the confirmation of Yahiko's death faze her, " _None of us received any intel on the investigation. Someone in the KPD is likely trying to operate with a low profile so they can stay at least one step ahead of us."_

The others on the call—Pain, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, Zetsu—grunted or hummed in agreement.

"I can have some of my informants sniff around—see if there's anything they can find about a secret task force," Sasuke offered.

The rest of the call mainly had to do with splitting Yahiko's territories. Because Sasuke and Konan were the biggest players in Konoha, and since no one else in Akatsuki had the resources to extend their operations outside of their cities, Konan was to receive sixty percent of Yahiko's assets and men, which left Sasuke forty percent. Though many of Yahiko's men had been lost in the bombing, the remaining men were extremely loyal to Yahiko, which would hopefully transfer to their new bosses.

But after the call, after Sasuke was assigned to handle the drug operation Yahiko left behind (much to his chagrin), he read the text that Naruto sent him that morning.

' _Four men broke into apartment last night. Used fire escape to get out so I'm ok, but phone and laptop are missing. Think they're after info on you or Danzo. Stay safe.'_

The bombing at ARF, which brought the loss of Yahiko, and now _this_? Sasuke could feel himself being pushed closer and closer to the edge, his anxiety rushing through him. Hence the urge to pace. He needed some way to keep himself in control, but pacing was not proper behavior—not for him, at least.

Sasuke exited his office and grabbed the attention of one of his men, Juugo. The large, redheaded man looked at him passively, waiting for orders.

"Get in contact with Genma and see if he has any information on a break-in that happened last night at 1285 Newman Drive."

Juugo simply nodded, taking out his cell and starting to dial. Sasuke turned back and retreated to his office, still feeling far too restless for his own good.

oooOOooo

When Naruto finally entered his apartment and turned the lights on, he quietly shut the door behind him and stood at the entrance, letting his weekender bag fall to the floor next to him. Officer Shiranui gave him the clear to re-enter the apartment while Naruto was tutoring Konohamaru, but the blond was now feeling rather anxious at returning. His landlord had, thankfully, reset the door back on its hinges. He'd request a change in locks as well, just for peace of mind.

Naruto could hear the faint thumping of music from his neighbor, but his apartment was quiet...too quiet. To alleviate the dreaded feeling of being completely and utterly alone, he walked over to his sound system and turned it on, flipping his music player to a familiar playlist of alternative rock.

That felt better.

After that, he moved to the bedroom, turning on the lights in the hall as he went. He popped his head into the bathroom as well. Just to check that nothing was out of place, of course.

He knew it'd probably be a bad idea to return to his apartment less than twenty-four hours after it'd been broken into, but now that he was here, it was _way_ worse than he imagined. At every creak of the floor, every small thump from his neighbors' apartments, caused Naruto's heart to jump and his stomach to lurch.

Naruto had finished changing out of his business casual outfit into a pair of navy jogger sweats, a simple white tee, and white socks, when he heard a knock at his door. Now _that_ immediately sent adrenaline running through his system.

He silently moved to the kitchen, grabbing a butcher's knife from the wooden block, and tiptoed over to the front door. Though it was a toss-up on whether those men would return a second night, Naruto wasn't going to take chances.

" _Naruto, it's me."_

Sasuke's voice. Naruto felt his stomach lurch, but for a different reason this time. When he looked through the peephole and confirmed the brunet was, in fact, on the other side, he put the knife down on the console next to the door and undid the security chain before opening the door.

. . . . .

When the door finally opened, Sasuke was shocked to see Naruto in the state he was in; the blond looked ragged, with bags under his eyes and hair looking more out of place than usual. The biggest red flag, however, was how easily Naruto moved aside to let him into the apartment. Despite the recent developments in their relationship, Sasuke hadn't expected the blond to simply let him in with no argument.

And when Sasuke stepped into the apartment, Naruto immediately went to lock the door and put the security chain in place. He looked around the apartment, noticing nothing was really out of place, just as Naruto had said. But all the lights in the apartment were on, as well as the sound system and television. The cacophony of sounds gave the place a bit of a chaotic vibe, which slightly unnerved Sasuke.

There was something very wrong with Naruto.

Sasuke looked over to Naruto, who was standing just a few steps from his door with his arms crossed over his chest as if to comfort himself.

The brunet knew that when Naruto was in a mood like this, the last thing he needed to do was press the blond for answers. He'd wait for Naruto to start talking. So in the meantime, after Sasuke pulled his dress shoes off, he walked to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge for ingredients.

"I'm making fried rice. That okay?" Sasuke asked, turning to see that Naruto had followed him.

Naruto silently nodded in response. A warm feeling spread through Sasuke's chest; despite the shitty situation the blond was in, Sasuke couldn't help but find Naruto still so utterly endearing. It made the brunet swell with an unnameable emotion to see that Naruto was still very much like he was when they were younger.

Despite the tough front that Naruto usually put on, the blond had been a bit of a scaredy cat when they were younger. Naruto was absolutely frightened of spiders, and he would rely on Sasuke to be the brave one and either shoo it away or smash it with the bottom of his shoe. And he _hated_ horror movies. Naruto never quite forgave Sasuke for that one time when he put on _The Ring_ during a sleepover.

But Naruto's disposition had changed over the years, and his once-sunny smiles gradually dimmed. The first year of high school inflicted a drastic change in Naruto, and he often showed up to class with bruises, scrapes, or a bloody nose. Sasuke's mind drifted to the the first time he tried to discuss it with Naruto.

" _What happened to you?_

 _It was lunch, and they were in the cafeteria. Naruto, with nothing in hand, sat down across from Sasuke, who had brought his own lunch from home, fifteen minutes after lunch started._

 _The blond looked worse for wear; his lip was split, with blood pooling at the wound. The area around his eye looked fairly red, too, and Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows as he pulled the ice pack out from his lunchbox and handed it over to Naruto. The blond took it without argument and pressed it to his eye._

" _Nothing."_

" _Nothing?" Sasuke asked, looking skeptical as he pulled out the contents of his lunchbox, "That doesn't look like nothing. Who hit you?"_

 _Naruto paused, his one eye looking across the cafeteria to the group of energetic guys, all of whom were roughhousing with each other instead of eating lunch. But as they realized Naruto_ _ **and**_ _Sasuke were looking over at them, they nudged each other and stared back as a group aggressively. Intimidatingly._

 _The blond turned back to Sasuke and stared down at their table._

" _Forget it, Sasuke."_

 _Sasuke fought the urge to stand up. Instead, he slammed his plastic bento box down on the table, just loud enough to garner a few stares from students sitting nearby._

" _Forget it? You just want me to let those guys continue to fuck with you? Damn it, Naruto, this has been going on for too long. I'll speak with Principal Sarutobi—"_

" _ **Fuck**_ _, Sasuke, I told you to drop it. Don't cause me more trouble."_

 _The pale teen stilled as Naruto pulled the ice pack off his eye and held him in an intense stare. Just as Sasuke thought Naruto was going to get up and storm off, the blond softened his expression and replaced the ice pack over his swollen eye._

" _Just—forget it, okay, Sasuke? If you say something, they're going to start picking on you, too. It's bad enough that you hang out with me everyday."_

" _But we're best friends, Naruto. We can't just let them get away with it."_

 _Naruto sighed. It was clear the blond had thought about this conversation long before this._

" _It's okay, Sasuke. Seriously."_

 _Despite every other time that Naruto said he was okay, it never settled Sasuke._

As Sasuke thought back on their past, on how stupid he'd been for just letting Naruto get beat up, he sighed and looked around for the kitchen knife, only to have Naruto hand the utensil to him. Sasuke thanked him and began to mince the garlic after turning on the stove to heat up the oil.

Naruto joined Sasuke in food prep, cracking the eggs and beating them with a fork. They worked together without saying a word, both music and the cooking channel filling in the silence. Occasionally their arms would bump, but Naruto always pulled away first. Sasuke frowned the first time it happened, and he couldn't get the other to look him in the eye. Instead, Naruto seemed to focus extra hard on breaking up the egg in the stainless steel wok.

After Naruto put the egg bits in a bowl and moved aside to let Sasuke throw in the garlic, the blond leaned against the counter and fidgeted with his hands.

. . . . .

The blond recognized Sasuke's attempt at getting him to speak, and though he was a _little_ annoyed that Sasuke wasn't just going to ask him outright about what had happened, he was mostly relieved at being allowed the time to collect himself.

He'd been nervous when Sasuke showed up, but it wasn't so much a surprise—after all, it was clear Sasuke still cared about Naruto. His nervousness mostly stemmed from the fact that the blond would likely want to spill his guts out. Years upon years of repressed emotions and secrets were wearing on Naruto, and though he knew he still had quite a few skeletons in his closet to deal with, he wanted this renewed chance with Sasuke to be more open and more trusting.

After seeing Sasuke at his door, Naruto realized that he still loved the man and that he _wanted_ Sasuke to know. But he was afraid of what their future would hold. Being in love with a man like Sasuke wasn't a walk in the park; it meant being in constant danger, and Naruto would have to learn to live with it.

The blond put the plate of eggs down on the counter next to the stove and watched as Sasuke began to cook. He pressed his lips together, then went over to the fridge and grabbed two bottled waters, gesturing with one in one hand and placing that one on the counter for Sasuke. He twisted the cap off the other and took a long drink.

"I—uhm," Naruto croaked, surprised at how crackled his voice came out, "I only just got the ok to come back here a few hours ago."

Sasuke was focused on the wok, his gaze intense. Naruto knew he was listening, so he went on.

"And, uh, I've only been here for a half hour," Naruto said sheepishly as he let out a half-hearted chuckle, "but it's been kind of creepy being in here by myself."

At the admission, Naruto found himself face-first into Sasuke's chest, those strong, familiar arms wrapped around him in a tight, warm embrace. The blond's eyes fluttered shut as moved his head and nuzzled into Sasuke's neck, inhaling deeply. Sasuke only held him tighter.

"Move in with me."

Naruto tried to tell himself that the fluttering in his stomach was due to the deep rumblings from Sasuke's voice, and _not_ at what Sasuke was offering him. He sighed and pulled back, his gaze on Sasuke's chest.

"You know I can't," Naruto said quietly.

"Naruto," the brunet began.

The blond shook his head and stepped back, peeling himself away from Sasuke. He didn't have it in him to fight. The other, trying to mask the hurt evident in his eyes, turned back to the wok and busied himself.

"I mean," Naruto started, pausing when he realized there wasn't an easy way to talk about it, "if I lived with you, it would complicate a lot of things."

Sasuke sighed. This was the most emotive the blond had seen coming from the other man in a long time. It felt nostalgic, comforting, and frustrating, all at the same time.

Naruto couldn't help himself as he stared at the other man. Sasuke had certainly matured, in many ways, but one of the most obvious was his emotional intelligence. When they were younger, there were many times when Sasuke would find Naruto crying, and he'd proved himself very poor emotional support. Even right before they broke up the brunet had a hard time expressing his sympathy to others.

"You could stop working for that man, then we wouldn't have any problems," Sasuke said simply.

Of course. It was all so simple when Sasuke laid it out, but he had to understand Naruto's predicament.

"I wouldn't trade anything in the world for Konohamaru," Naruto replied, "I couldn't just leave him."

Sasuke turned off the stove and set the spatula down, the smell of fried rice drifting comfortably through the air. When he turned to Naruto, however, with that intense gaze of his, Naruto held his breath for a moment.

He forgot how captivating Sasuke could be sometimes.

"Not even for _us_?" Sasuke asked quietly, reaching forward and cupping Naruto's cheek in one hand.

Naruto didn't even realize it, but he'd closed his eyes instinctively when Sasuke reached forward. He reveled in the warmth, in the fact that the beautiful man before him was touching him.

"Fuck," Naruto said quietly, feeling out of breath, "this isn't fair."

The brunet cupped Naruto's other cheek, holding the blond in his hands as he pressed forward and kissed him warily, gently.

Nothing was holding Naruto back from Sasuke's touch. In fact, his body was _begging_ for it, wanting those strong, pale hands to touch him everywhere. He was afraid to be alone for the night, and Sasuke had shown up knowing the blond needed him.

Naruto reached up and, with both hands, threaded them through dark locks, deepening their kiss to something less chaste, more _needy_. _Fuck_ , he'd forgotten how intoxicating the other tasted. Naruto pressed himself up against Sasuke, pushing the man against his counter and causing them both to gasp when their hips ground against one another.

"Wait," Sasuke said, pulling back for a moment before Naruto went in for another kiss, "no, wait, Naruto. I want you, but you've been through a lot recently, and—"

"Don't even think about stopping this, Sasuke. I'm _not_ vulnerable, and if we have sex, it's because we _both_ want it," Naruto pulled back this time to search those dark eyes. "No one is being taken advantage of."

To make his point clear, the blond reached down, keeping one hand still entwined in those dark, silky locks, and cupping Sasuke through his pants rather harshly, earning him a sharp hiss from the brunet. But despite Naruto's manhandling, he knew that Sasuke liked it.

As proof of the pleasure he was feeling, the brunet pressed his hips forward, pushing harder against Naruto's hand. Naruto could hardly hold back his moan, getting completely turned on by how aggressive Sasuke was in seeking out relief. Even when the brunet bottomed, he still seemed to domineer the power, which Naruto was all-too-happy to allow.

"Touch me," Sasuke commanded, his breath ragged.

Naruto grinned, pressing his palm flat against the bulge of Sasuke's pants, "I already am."

Of course, the blond couldn't resist playing with Sasuke to remind him he wasn't always going to be easy. Sasuke let out a string of curses, throwing his head to the side as Naruto continued to fondle him over his clothes.

Then Sasuke suddenly got ahold of himself and grabbed Naruto's wrist, stilling him. He brought his dark, heavy gaze up to meet Naruto's playful one. Naruto felt his cock twitch, growing impossibly harder as they caught each other's stares.

Sasuke looked just about ready to devour him.

"Touch my cock, Naruto," the brunet said in a quiet, but firm, voice, his grasp still solidly wrenched around Naruto's wrist.

The blond licked his bottom lip, his eyes darkening with lust to match his lover's. His breathing irregular, Naruto let out a breathy laugh.

"Yes, _sir_."

Sasuke released Naruto's wrist, and the blond immediately moved to undo Sasuke's slacks. They fell partway down Sasuke's thighs, and Naruto reached into the waistband of Sasuke's boxers to grab ahold of the hard flesh there, leaning in towards Sasuke's neck as the blond relished the hot feel of Sasuke's cock in his hand. In response, Sasuke let out a sigh that transformed midway into a light moan.

Sasuke gripped the edge of the counter behind him, watching through narrowed eyes as Naruto's hand stroked him, only barely giving him relief since his dark blue boxers restricted Naruto's full range of movement. He let out wanton gasps, pushing his hips forward and feeling himself slipping farther and farther away from sanity.

And yet, he needed more.

Sasuke sloppily pushed his boxers down and let his slacks pool at his ankles, his cock and Naruto's hand coming free. He reached down and squeezed one hand around the base of his cock, enveloping the long, hard flesh entirely with their hands in combined effort. Naruto let out an appreciative growl as they continued their frenzied stroking, the heat building angrily, chaotically, between them.

"Don't—don't stop," Sasuke gasped.

The blond complied, his hand alternating between stroking and gliding along Sasuke's hard cock as precum built up on the tip and dribbled down the length. Naruto felt rather pleased with himself for still being able to rouse such a reaction out of the other man.

Naruto leaned one hand onto the counter, boxing Sasuke in between his arm and his body as he continued stroking hard with his other hand. Then as he stroked, tanned fingers expertly rubbed at Sasuke's balls, causing the mafia boss to throw his head back onto the cabinet as a long groan of pleasure rumbled through him.

It was so beautiful to see Sasuke completely overwhelmed as he was, and so Naruto pushed himself to stand up straight, pulling down his own pants as he continued erratically stroking Sasuke's cock. When his own hard length sprang free from his sweats, Naruto immediately pressed his cock flush against Sasuke's and took both their flesh in his hand, the slickness from Sasuke's a delectable lube.

Sasuke now pressed his forehead forward into Naruto's chest, his hands gripping those broad, tanned shoulders as Naruto continued to fondle them.

"Fuck, Naru, I'm coming— _ahh_!"

White spurts sprang from Sasuke's cock, the hard flesh twitching with each spray. Naruto moved his body so he was holding only Sasuke's cock, and he slowed his strokes so they were longer, harder, squeezing every last drop out of the pale man until nothing was left. Sasuke hissed at the final stroke before Naruto let go, and the crime boss leaned back heavily against the counter, trying to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Naruto went back to stroking himself, watching Sasuke carefully, his eyes roaming the other's lean, muscled body. He wasn't quite ready to come yet, but having his ex in the flesh as eye candy would certainly speed up the process.

Naruto stepped back and pushed his jogger sweats down to his ankles, pushing back to lean against the island counter. He'd gone commando under the sweats, and Sasuke, through his eyelashes, stared intently.

"You never liked wearing boxers," Sasuke said lowly, his voice gruff from use.

The blond smirked in response, his hand stilling to grip himself at the base tightly.

"Not really."

When Naruto blinked, the next moment Sasuke was on his knees, his hand wrapped around Naruto's and moving both of their hands slowly along the blond's cock. When Sasuke looked up at him, Naruto felt his cock twitch hard in their hands.

"Shit, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, his free hand moving to grab at Sasuke's hair.

There was no hesitation when Sasuke situated himself between Naruto's legs and took the thick length in his mouth. Naruto threw his head back, releasing Sasuke's hair and moving his hand to grip at the counter behind him. The wet, hot heat around his cock just felt so _good_. No one could give head the way Sasuke could.

The man below him groaned as Naruto's cock slid along Sasuke's velvet tongue and down Sasuke's throat. It was an entirely different, mind-blowing feeling when Sasuke sucked on Naruto's cock as he pulled back.

"Fuck, that feels amazing, Sas," Naruto said, his voice strained, reverent, and loving all at once.

Sasuke continued his mind-numbing blowjob, and by the time Naruto was ready to come, his legs felt like jelly. The blond was holding onto the counter behind him for dear life as Sasuke sucked the life out of him.

"I'm gonna come," Naruto said quickly, hurriedly, knowing he wouldn't last much longer.

And just like that, Sasuke took Naruto all the way down his throat, taking the straight shots of cum like a champ. The pale man reached up between Naruto's legs and massaged his balls, causing Naruto to double over in pleasure as his body and cock twitched to release whatever was left in him.

Sasuke swallowed around Naruto's cock a few times, and Naruto had to focus hard on his breathing, lest he find himself breathless at the pleasure racking through him. Then Sasuke finally pulled back, gently sucking on the softening flesh as he did so. The blond hissed, feeling particularly sensitive from the other man's treatment.

As Naruto grasped the counter behind him, Sasuke stood and pulled a few sheets of paper towels, handing Naruto some as he wiped himself down.

Naruto had no idea what Sasuke was like when he was working, but he was still the same sex god that could make Naruto lose all control. It was almost comforting to know that, despite the hardships Sasuke had gone through without him, the pale man was still as passionate and mindful towards Naruto.

When Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the hips and pulled the other into an embrace, he nuzzled into Sasuke's neck.

" _Fuck_ ," Naruto groaned, "I really fucking missed you."

The blond wasn't surprised when Sasuke returned his hug just as strongly, and they simply remained as they were, cocks flaccid, energy worn, but bodies and hearts warm.

"I missed you," Sasuke whispered, as if scared to say it aloud.

Naruto only hugged tighter. He could have made it easy and walked away from Sasuke again. They'd go their own ways and there'd be no conflict. But with Naruto choosing to return to Sasuke, to want to pursue something with his ex, their future was going to be troubling.

What would he do about Konohamaru? And Danzo? Would he still be allowed to take care of Konohamaru if he was with Sasuke? Or was he bringing needless risk to both sides?

But Naruto didn't want to think about all the complications it'd bring. He did that five years ago, and where did that land him? Unhappy and no better than before.

Sasuke was truly the only person he'd ever felt as much of a pull—physically and emotionally—and Naruto doubted he'd ever find anyone else like him. But before Itachi went missing, Naruto had taken the older Uchiha's words of warning to heart.

" _The only thing I'm sure about is that the winds are changing course, Naruto."_

 _Naruto remembered how Itachi had looked at him, with those somber, piercing eyes—almost like Sasuke's, but so drastically different at the same time. Itachi had had more than a lifetime of pain and suffering built up behind those eyes._

 _But Naruto wasn't sure what Itachi was implying. When he asked, Itachi simply sighed._

" _Our lives—yours, Sasuke's, mine—will change drastically. Soon."_

" _But what do you mean, Itachi? What do you want me to do?"_

" _Be ready," was all he said._

 _There was silence. Then Naruto finally managed to wet his throat as he swallowed hard._

" _And Sasuke?"_

 _Itachi shook his head, his gaze shifting to capture Naruto's eyes in an intense, but soft, stare._

" _It doesn't matter what you or I want him to do. Sasuke will always make his own decisions and stick to them. I just hope you keep that in mind so that you don't get caught up in whatever decisions my brother makes in the future. We may not share blood ties, but your life is just as important to me as his is."_

 _Naruto nodded, trying not to let the dread overwhelm him as he let Itachi's words sink in. Itachi walked over to the blond and clapped his shoulders, taking the time to look him over._

" _I love him though," Naruto said resolutely as he looked up into Itachi's eyes, "and I won't leave him."_

 _The older Uchiha tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulders as he furrowed his brows._

" _That's exactly why you need to go your own way, Naruto, if the time comes. Even if it means leaving my brother behind."_

Before he knew it, Naruto felt tears prickling in his eyes, and he sniffed, pulling away from Sasuke to wipe at the wetness. Sasuke reluctantly stepped back, and they stared at one another for a few moments, quietly assessing.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke's voice came gently.

Naruto let out a nervous chuckle. Figures he'd get emotional after one of the best blowjobs of his life.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just feeling...more overwhelmed than I thought I'd be. But I'm really fucking glad you're here."

The small smile on Sasuke's face sent a warmth through Naruto, and the blond could only reach forward to hug Sasuke again. He buried his face into Sasuke's neck again, relishing in the feel and smell of the other.

They took the rest of the night slowly, forgetting about dinner and heading for the shower to wash each other gently. It'd been five years since they had the chance to be so tender with one another, and Naruto felt his heart wrench every time he thought too far into the future. But he would force those thoughts down and try to enjoy what he had for the time being.

As they retreated to bed and lounged side-by-side on the full-size mattress, Naruto rested on Sasuke's chest as Sasuke lazily played with the blond's hair.

"You're still wearing the necklace I gave you," Sasuke said off-handedly.

Naruto hummed, then put his hand to his neck, just remembering the piece of jewelry was there, "Yeah."

The tone in Sasuke's voice softened as he replied, "I thought you would've thrown it away."

Naruto propped himself up on the bed, dislodging from Sasuke as he looked down at the pale man. He really did miss this, just being able to simply enjoy the company of his childhood best friend.

"No, I couldn't bring myself to."

He continued to stare at Sasuke, who in turn was moving his gaze all over Naruto, as if trying to drink in all of him. When Sasuke met Naruto's gaze again, his eyes were just ever-so-slightly hardened—wary.

"Why not?"

The blond hesitated. He knew he'd have to fess up to Sasuke eventually, to give him a proper answer so they could get on with their lives. It'd been easy to just go with the flow when they were in the middle of sex; with those endorphins running through him, Naruto would have admitted his true feelings. But now that Sasuke was staring at him so intently, and the high of post-orgasm had long since diminished, Naruto found himself embarrassed.

Once he flushed pink, Sasuke grinned, his whole demeanor softening—relieved. And Naruto only flushed a darker pink in response.

"You're blushing," Sasuke teased.

Naruto put his hands on his cheeks to cover the evidence, but Sasuke grabbed his wrists and pulled them away gently. Sasuke's dark eyes stared into Naruto's blue, both their eyes fluttering shut as they tilted their heads, pressing their lips against the other's.

The mood was nothing like their frenzied lust; instead, it was a slow-burning passion that both Naruto and Sasuke had a nostalgic yearning for. Feeling Sasuke's velvety tongue rub against his made Naruto shiver in delight, and he let out a wistful sigh.

When they parted, their faces flushed and lips plump, they pressed their foreheads against each other, breaths mingling as they caught their breaths.

Naruto shut his eyes and kissed Sasuke once more, chastely this time.

"I still love you, Sasuke," Naruto admitted, "so much so that it drives me crazy thinking about you."

A full, relieved sigh exited from Sasuke, and the brunet pulled Naruto's hands to his lips to place soft kisses on each knuckle reverently.

"But I still need to take care of Konohamaru."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto, and both assessed the other. Naruto recognized that look in those dark eyes—there was sadness, but understanding. The blond wondered what emotions the other saw brewing in his own eyes.

Eventually, Sasuke prodded, carefully, "I know you want him to do well in life, but when will your responsibilities end? When is it enough?" _When can you be mine, and mine alone?_

"I don't know," Naruto replied honestly, "If he doesn't ask me to leave, then I suppose until he's at least eighteen, or goes to college."

Sasuke hummed, clearly thinking, "How old is he now?"

"Thirteen."

"Fuck," Sasuke said, though there was no actual malice behind it, "I can't wait another five years to properly have you."

In truth, neither could Naruto. But there wasn't much either of them could do.

They lay together in silence, Naruto having resumed his resting on Sasuke's chest. But this time, the blond was the one running his fingers through Sasuke's dark tresses.

"The easy thing to do," Sasuke said sleepily, his eyes fluttering shut as he snuggled deeper against Naruto, "would be to take out Danzo and then you could adopt Konohamaru through fictive...kin."

Just as Sasuke trailed off, his arm wrapped around the blond's waist, Naruto widened his eyes at him.

"You've got to be joking," Naruto said to him.

As much as Naruto wanted confirmation from Sasuke, he knew the truth; Sasuke wasn't the type to make an offhand joke about something as serious as offing a man, even when he wasn't in the most normal state of mind. A shiver traveled up the blond's spine as he realized that he may have just gotten a glimpse of the cold, dark side of the man that Naruto had yet to witness—someone willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

Just as a final attempt to get the other to admit it was just a joke, Naruto quietly, nervously, called out to his bedmate one last time.

"Sasuke?"

But the brunet was already deep into sleep.

* * *

 **Author's** **Note:** So I realized people don't seem to like Naruto in this story. Maybe it's because we haven't seen a lot of his backstory? I'm extremely sympathetic to him (but I guess that's not too fair since I know what my poor little blondie's been through), so I'll try better in the coming chapters to incorporate a bit more of Naruto's story.

Anyway, I think it's super interesting how much concession people tend to give Sasuke versus Naruto (in this story and in other fics as well). Maybe with this story, they're acting too out-of-character? Both of them are supposed to be somewhat deplorable in this story, so maybe it's just more jarring when Naruto acts that way?

Do you like Sasuke or Naruto more in this story? I'm curious to know your thoughts!


	7. Temporary

**Author's Note:** So, I know I've been delaying updates on this story and not posting when I said I would. Sorry, real life got in the way. Hope you guys aren't too mad at me! I won't make any more promises for when the next chapter is going up (since I've been horrible sticking to the deadline as of late), but remember you can always follow this story to get an email notification when there's an update.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter. :)

* * *

"Sir?"

Sasuke shifted his gaze from out the car window to catch Kakashi's gaze in the rear-view mirror. Kakashi's grey eyes flickered up to the mirror for a brief moment before returning his attention to the road.

They were on their way to the main office in the Six Paths district to finally meet the men the Uchiha family was to take on from the Ansen family. Sasuke had called Kakashi in the morning to retrieve him from Naruto's apartment, but it'd been nearly a week since he'd first stayed over to comfort his spooked lover.

The mafia boss knew he would find himself at ease waking up to Naruto next to him in the mornings, but after a week's worth of indulgence, it was ever clearer that the blond's presence gave him peace of mind he hadn't had for years.

Kakashi, however, had his own opinions about his boss's extracurricular activities.

"I don't mean any disrespect, sir, and you are certainly free to do as you wish with your time. But," Kakashi paused for a moment as his gaze flickered up to the mirror again, "there have been whispers among your men that you've taken up a lover and that this one is much different than the others."

Of course there were rumors. It always happened when Sasuke changed his lovers; his schedule would change drastically, as if trying to find a new groove, before it'd settle into a somewhat predictable pattern for the following months. But that didn't change the fact that it would always piss Sasuke off when his men would dawdle with idle chatter.

"You've put those rumors to rest, though," Sasuke stated, knowing full-well that Kakashi wouldn't dare do otherwise.

"Of course," Kakashi said, "but there's only so much I can do to quell them if they've begun to notice a change in your demeanor as well."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, turning his attention completely to Kakashi. He crossed his legs and sat back in his seat. The silver-haired man cleared his throat, understanding that his boss was waiting for him to continue. It was hardly something Kakashi wanted to do, but it had to be said—for the Uchiha family's sake.

"You've been more forgiving, especially after the incident with the ballistics shipment. Last week with Hamada, for example—when he slipped up in covering his tracks moving funds, you simply told him to go back and fix it. If it had happened a few months ago, you wouldn't have hesitated to have your men _teach him a lesson_ in being more diligent."

The mafia boss grit his teeth, his face warming in embarrassment as he moved his gaze back out the window. He knew his personal affairs were affecting the decisions he was making, but having Kakashi point them out only revealed how painfully obvious he was changing.

The incident with the ballistics shipment definitely breathed a small bit of humanity back into his otherwise cold, soulless life, but that was not the only thing affecting him.

In the past week, Sasuke had never felt as content as he was, being able to see Naruto each night after a long day at work. The first night he returned to Naruto's apartment, the blond had stared at him wide-eyed as he stood in the doorway. But after that initial shock, Naruto wordlessly moved aside and they spent the night with one another as easily as if they'd never parted all those years.

And so it went for the next week. Sasuke would show up at Naruto's without any announcement, but Naruto would let him in without any argument. They indulged in one another each night, neither of them really believing that they were together.

It was like a dream that neither wanted to wake up from.

Sasuke sighed, knowing his over-indulgence in Naruto was bound to affect the family's operations at some point. He would need to be careful now; his taking over the family had been contested by the other members at first, given how young he was, and it wouldn't do to have his men start questioning his abilities now.

"All right," Sasuke said, finally addressing Kakashi, "Thank you for your input, Kakashi. I'll be more mindful from now on."

The driver gave a curt nod and replied, "I'm here if you require my assistance, sir."

oooOOooo

"Naruto! Good morning!"

When Naruto drove up to the Shimura household, he was surprised to see his young charge standing outside the house, jumping up and down and waving furiously at him. The blond exited his car with a smile on his face—because who could really hold back a smile when seeing a kid as excited as Konohamaru, teeth bared in a wide smile?

Even when Konohamaru dashed up to him and threw himself onto Naruto, the blond laughed and placed his hand on the kid's head, making sure to ruffle his hair even more than usual. Though it would have usually roused a small frown and groans of protest from Konohamaru, the kid seemed particularly energetic at Naruto's touch.

Large, brown eyes stared up at him, and Naruto grinned. This felt nice, Naruto thought, to have someone look at him so lovingly and cheerfully. The blond figured his good mood was only amplified recently from Sasuke's nightly stays.

The day after Sasuke's first night's stay, Naruto had gone to work in a bit of a daze—a happy, dumb daze. It wasn't too different from how he seemed on a day-to-day, but Konohamaru had perceptively pointed it out during their tutoring session. Though Naruto had dismissed it as Konohamaru's imagination, the blond secretly relished the fact that Sasuke had so easily erased all feelings of uncertainty and fear when he'd shown up.

Having nearly a week's worth of his best friend and lover, Naruto could hardly contain his good mood and he could feel himself nearly shining with blinding happiness. Today, he felt like he could take on the world.

"Good morning, Kono," Naruto replied, a smile still spread on his face, "You're really pumped up this morning."

"Yeah!" Konohamaru replied, his eyes starting to glimmer, "Pops told me you were going to move in!"

Almost immediately, Naruto's smile fell into something more akin to surprise and a little bit of guilt. He'd nearly forgotten Danzo's offer; with Sasuke having stayed over, the blond had given his other option to move into the Shimura household very little thought.

"Oh," Naruto said.

At the sudden change in mood, Konohamaru frowned, looking worried for his caretaker. Naruto could feel his stomach knot tightly as he watched the disappointment slowly creep in the kid's face.

"You're not moving in?"

"Well," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head, with Konohamaru still clinging to him, "I told your father I'd think about it. Nothing's finalized yet."

Konohamaru looked down, as if racking his brains, and when he looked up again with fervor, he replied, "Okay, but you're seriously considering it, right? Because it'd be _so cool_ if you lived here! It'd be like having a sleepover, like, _every night_!"

Naruto chuckled, though he could feel his smile nearly falter, "I haven't made my decision yet, but yes, I'm considering it."

That response was enough to pep Konohamaru right back up. He bounced back from Naruto, hopping on his toes as he announced he was going to get ready for school. Naruto watched Konohamaru dash back into the house, and when the kid was out of sight, the blond exhaled deeply.

. . . . .

After Naruto dropped off Konohamaru, the blond dismissed the bodyguards who'd been tailing them in a separate car so that he could go get some errands done. The two looming men would be frightening enough to other people, never mind the fact that they'd be in the way. It wasn't like Naruto couldn't handle himself, and besides, it was unlikely anyone would try anything in the daylight (at least, that's what he hoped).

As he drove down the highway to get to the supermarket on the other side of town, Naruto turned over the idea of moving into the Shimura household in his mind. It wasn't until he saw Konohamaru's reaction that he was swayed to put more consideration in his decision. He knew he was putting quite a lot of his decision in Konohamaru's favor, but out of all the rest of them—Naruto, Sasuke, Danzo—the kid would stand to benefit the most from the arrangement.

It wasn't as if he absolutely _wanted_ to live in the Shimura household, though; being under Danzo's watchful eye twenty-four hours a day was hardly a selling point. And of course, if he _did_ decide to move in with the Shimura family, Sasuke would hate it. Naruto frowned, turning up the radio as he continued to drive. Whatever his decision, it would result in someone being unhappy.

As he mulled over his decision a bit more, Naruto realized a little too late that he'd passed the exit he was supposed to take.

"Ah, crap," Naruto said loudly.

The blond grumbled as he pulled off to the next exit. When he had a lot to think about, it was all too easy for Naruto to get lost in his thoughts. Though it was annoying he'd let himself get to that point, at least it would be easy enough to double-back.

As he drove down the desolate road leading back to a U-turn to reenter the highway, Naruto noticed a low-riding black sedan coming up right behind him, looking rather menacing as the car filled up the majority of his rearview mirror. Blue eyes darted up to the rearview mirror, and it took some rationalizing for Naruto to not immediately slam his foot on the gas as a first reaction.

Was it a cop? By the looks of it, probably not. Even unmarked police cars had some obvious signs if you looked hard enough.

Naruto wondered if the guy behind him was either an asshole or was specifically out to get him. The latter thought immediately sent a rush of adrenaline through him; Naruto was still on high alert after the break-in at his apartment. Even if it turned out the driver was just an asshole tailgating him, it'd be much safer if he assumed the car behind him was not there by mere coincidence.

As a test, Naruto feathered the brakes and let his car decelerate to what would be an agonizingly slow pace for anyone else _not_ interested in tailing him. But when the car behind him also slowed down to match his speed instead of driving around him, Naruto cursed.

What should he do? There were only a few trees dotting the otherwise empty back roads; hardly anyone ever drove through this area unless there was a construction detour or flooding off the other exits of the highway. The safest thing to do was probably to keep driving until he either lost them or reentered a more populated area in Konoha, but would the other car even give him that chance? It could be that they already had a gun aimed at his head to take him out. Or, if Naruto's hunch about the break-in at his apartment was correct, he was going to be taken alive and delivered to some bastard.

Against his better judgment to simply flee, Naruto slowed his car and pulled off the side of the road onto the shoulder. He quickly undid his seatbelt after killing the car engine and reached in a pocket underneath the passenger seat to grab the .45 caliber Beretta that had been tucked away for safekeeping.

To his surprise, no one from the car behind him had stepped out. He turned in his seat and looked out the back window very carefully. Though he could only mark the driver, the blond had no idea if there were any others hiding in the car.

Naruto debated on whether he should step out first. If there was only one person to handle, it probably wouldn't be so bad if he had to try to take them out on his own; Naruto had certainly been in worse situations and handled himself just fine. But if there were more than two or three...

But the blond hardly had any more time to decide his next move when the other driver opened their door and stepped out.

"Shit, shit, shit," the blond whispered.

Naruto turned in his seat and lowered himself so that he would hardly be visible to anyone driving by. His blue eyes were trained on the side mirror, watching as a pale man in a black peacoat held his hands up and started saying something.

The blond realized his mind was surprisingly clear, though his heart raced. He focused on the strange man and his thoughts flowed freely through his mind. What was the man saying? Naruto noticed the man had his hands up in the air, though, which was (mostly) a good sign. But the man clearly had his own weapon tucked to his hip. Were the man's reflexes quick? Naruto could bet he was quicker. But he couldn't hear anything the man was saying, staying in the car as he was.

The blond shut his eyes and let out a deep exhale before tucking the Beretta into the waistband of his dress pants, out of plain sight, and stepped out of his car. With one hand on the car door and the other on the roof of the car, Naruto willed himself to stay calm.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Naruto yelled, his hands itching to reach for his gun.

Now that they were standing face-to-face, Naruto had a better look at the other man; he was pale, looking oddly familiar to Sasuke (and at the realization Naruto's heart skipped a beat), his face devoid of emotion, but much lankier than the man who he'd been sharing his bed with the past week. Naruto expelled the thought of Sasuke from his head; this wasn't the time to let his thoughts cloud his thinking.

The other man took a step forward, and at that Naruto took one step back, his hand flying to his hip, brushing the familiar handle of his gun.

"You've been tailing me since the highway. Now tell me what you want before I blow your head off!"

Again, the other man put his hands up and smiled, shutting his eyes as he did so.

"I'm Sai," the other man said, loud enough for Naruto to hear, "I've heard a lot of good things about you, Naruto."

This _Sai_ seemed to have little to no social skills; either that, or he was playing with Naruto. In either case, it put the blond on immediate defense. Who the hell was this guy? And how the hell did he know his name and who he was?

Sai reached into his right jacket pocket, and Naruto's hand curled around his gun in response. The other recoiled, putting his left hand out as an attempt to keep the blond at bay. _Good_ , the guy was wary of him. Naruto reluctantly straightened up, his eyes watching for any abnormal twitches from the other.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Sai said, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket and holding it between his index and middle fingers, "I was instructed to give you this."

Naruto eyed the piece of paper, but he knew he wouldn't be able to see what was written on it unless he had it up close. But the blond didn't want to get too close to Sai—not if he could help it.

Sai noticed his hesitation and, with the paper still between his fingers, put both hands up as he slowly stepped towards Naruto. When he was only a foot away, the pale man extended his arm and waited, his face blank, as the blond grabbed the piece of paper from him.

"What the hell is this? Some kind of code?" Naruto asked when he opened the piece of paper and waved it at Sai.

"Coordinates," Sai said, his hands hanging at his sides as he watched Naruto carefully, "Be there Friday night, 7PM. We have information about Itachi and the Uchiha family."

It took a few moments for Naruto to register what Sai said, but once he did, he looked up at Sai with his mouth agape.

Without another word, Sai turned and walked back to his car. When Naruto finally pulled himself together, he shoved the paper in his pocket and clenched his other hand into a fist. If he were being completely honest, Naruto was completely unnerved that this random person knew his name, never mind that he'd marked his car and followed him out to the back roads of Konoha.

"Seriously, _who_ are you? What information could you possibly have about Itachi?"

The other man simply paused in his step, turning sideways as he caught Naruto's gaze over his shoulder.

"I'm not at liberty to say anything more here. Just be at those coordinates on Friday. You'll be meeting me and my colleague. And be sure not to say a word to anyone about any of this; it could compromise our entire operation, otherwise."

Naruto figured that would be Sai's response, but he wasn't going to _not_ ask; that'd be overly trusting and naive of him if he didn't at least throw some caution into the winds. He knew he'd have to keep his word if he wanted any answers, but having no other information to work off of other than coordinates hardly quelled the blond's uneasiness.

Itachi's disappearance had shattered Sasuke, and though Naruto tried to help his best friend as best he could, the blond knew that Sasuke would never find peace until he either found Itachi or found out what happened to him. And if this random guy was coming up to him offering information on Itachi and the Uchiha family, it was a lead he felt obligated to pursue.

Naruto had to find out what this Sai knew.

He watched silently as Sai got into his car, the other man not sparing Naruto a second glance as he drove off. Despite the urge to follow immediately after Sai, Naruto simply gripped at his car door and watched the car shrink in his line of vision.

When the black car was finally out of sight, Naruto got back into his car and sat heavily in his seat. For a moment, the blond shut his eyes and let the sun warm his face, the bright heat contrasting with the chilly spring air. He leaned his head back and let out a long exhale before pulling the piece of paper out of his pocket to stare at it.

oooOOooo

The coordinates led Naruto to an unnamed dive bar with an inconspicuous storefront when he arrived on Friday evening. It was more of a dump than Black Barrel, with its sticky floors, dank smell, and cracked drywalls that had been layered with years' worth of paint. Naruto was glad he'd decided on wearing his blue jeans and low top sneakers, allowing him to mostly blend in with the bar's clientele.

Mostly.

Naruto pulled up the hood of his hoodie over his hair as he walked deeper into the place. When a hand grabbed at his elbow, the blond nearly retaliated but stopped when he saw it was the pale man he'd met the other day, joined with a serious-looking, brown-haired man with an intense gaze trained on him.

Sai pulled the chair between him and his colleague at their small round table, and Naruto sat down, not bothering to take his bomber jacket off. The pair of them each had a bottle of beer in front of them, though it didn't look like either had drunk very much.

"Naruto, this is my colleague I mentioned, Yamato."

The intense gazer, without blinking, gave a curt nod. Naruto nodded right back, unsure whether a handshake would be appropriate in the given situation.

"So, who the fuck are you guys?" Naruto asked.

Naruto didn't want to waste any time with frivolities, and though he noticed Yamato's lip twitch _just slightly_ , Sai seemed unfazed. Instead, the pale man leaned forward, speaking only loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"We're part of the A8 Task Force, operating under the federal government—"

At that, the blond leaned back in his chair so swiftly and forcefully, he nearly flipped over the back of his chair. But Sai had been ready, his hand leveraging the back of Naruto's chair and pushing it back into place.

"You're fucking _feds_?" Naruto whispered harshly back at Sai.

In a country like Godaigoku, the federal law enforcement groups were nothing to joke around with. Citizens were expected to cooperate completely with them during investigations, and the feds were notorious for dragging innocent people into the crossfire.

And Naruto did _not_ want to be one of those people in the crossfire.

The first thought that came to the forefront of the blond's mind was to _get out_. He knew his visceral reaction was with good reason, and he wasn't about to second guess what his gut was telling him.

"I, uh, I didn't know you guys were, you know, _that_ ," Naruto said as he stood up, trying to keep discreet as he had his minor breakdown, "But I'm just a glorified nanny, you know, and I don't think I'm ready for this kind of thing. So, yeah, good luck with everything and all—"

"Itachi gave his full recommendation for you, Naruto. We wouldn't have come all this way if it were any other case," Sai said, his gaze becoming as intense as Yamato's, "Please, we only need a bit of your time."

And against all desire to flee, Naruto found himself seated again, his hands in his jacket pockets. What the hell had Itachi gotten himself into, working with the feds? And why was Naruto being mentioned to them? What did they know about him? The thought was chilling, and Naruto felt he might've just walked right into their hands, whether he liked it or not.

"Fine. But if I hear anything I don't like, I'm leaving. Got it?"

Sai nodded while Yamato continued to stare at Naruto. The blond moved his gaze over to Yamato and stared into those black...unblinking eyes. They held each other in what seemed to be a staring contest until Sai leaned forward on the table and began to speak lowly. Naruto leaned forward as well to hear better, focusing on the sticky wood-top table.

"The A8 Task Force was organized a decade ago to take down Akatsuki, the largest crime syndicate in Godaigoku that includes some of the largest and oldest mafia families. We've been successful in taking out a number of the families in Akatsuki, but our momentum is slowing, as is the intel coming in. We're afraid something big is going to happen, but we're not sure what it is nor when will it happen."

Great, that was exactly what Naruto _didn't_ want to be involved with. The fact that Itachi had pointed the feds to Naruto already linked the blond to the dark underworld. But he had no idea what exactly Itachi had said about him, so he would have to be careful not to incriminate himself in any way. The less he revealed about himself (and the less he admitted to), the better off it'd be for him.

"Okay…" Naruto said slowly as he let the information process, "so what do I have to do with any of this?"

"I'm getting to that," Sai responded, sitting back for a moment to take a swig from his beer, "But first—how acquainted are you with the Uchiha family?"

Naruto couldn't help himself as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You probably know the extent, if Itachi recommended me."

Sai shrugged and replied, "We know that you grew up with his younger brother and spent time with the Uchiha family. Otherwise, all he told us about you was that we could trust you, if we needed help."

Well, if that wasn't a desperate cry for help, Naruto didn't know what to call it. Why would the government need _his_ help, of all people? They had to know more about his connection with not only the Uchiha family, but with the Shimura family as well.

And fuck him if they knew about his juvenile record.

"How is Itachi wrapped up in all this?" Naruto asked as he waved his right pointer finger carelessly, "I won't answer anything until I at least have some understanding of what I'm getting into."

Yamato shot Sai a look—one that said, "Don't you dare say a word". But the pale man paid his colleague no attention and quietly assessed their surroundings before leaning back onto the table.

"The Uchiha family is part of Akatsuki—in fact, they're currently the largest family with the most influence."

Naruto inhaled sharply through his nose, biting his lips. Well, shit—he'd known his best friend's family was involved in some _shady_ business, but to think that they were actually part of the largest crime syndicate in the country… The blond looked up at Sai, who was focused on his beer, and then shifted his gaze over to Yamato, who was continuing to assess him.

With all the information being thrown at him, Naruto felt like he needed a drink. He excused himself for a moment and walked over to the bar, letting everything settle in his brain as he ordered a beer. All the could think about was how _composed_ Sasuke still was, even after having taken on one of the largest fucking mafia families _by himself_. He ordered an additional shot of vodka to numb himself, lest the guilt start eating at him from inside-out.

But none of it made sense. If the Uchihas were part of Akatsuki, then why was Itachi working with the feds? The older Uchiha had a certain character about him that made it unbelievable he'd sell out his family—at least, that's what it seemed to Naruto. Perhaps Itachi, or his family, had been threatened to help? There were so many missing pieces, and Naruto had no idea how much he didn't know.

When Naruto finally made his way back to the table and sat back down, the two agents waited for him to give any cue to go on.

"So—what—Itachi started working with you guys because you threatened his family, or something? Are the feds after the Uchiha family then, too?"

"Sai—" Yamato started, clearly not wanting to reveal anything further.

The pale man put a hand up to stop his colleague, his gaze still intensely focused on Naruto. Blue eyes darted from one brunet to the other, watching intently as neither averted their gaze on him. Naruto let out a frustrated sigh and knocked back some of his beer, setting the bottle down on the table. Sai followed suit, and as he set his bottle down, his kept his gaze fixed on Naruto again.

"The Uchiha family were targets at one point, until Itachi reached out to us."

"Bullshit," Naruto said immediately, fighting the urge to stand up and leave, "Itachi wouldn't work with you guys. He wouldn't condemn his family to death. He...he wouldn't…"

The memories of Fugaku's and Mikoto's funeral immediately came to mind, vivid as if it had happened just yesterday. Though Sasuke had kept his emotions back and put on an expression of indifference, Naruto also remembered never having seen Itachi so distraught. The older Uchiha had just as much of a "resting bitch face" as Sasuke did, but he was always a bit more open with expressing his emotions. Naruto had only thought Itachi's breakdown was just his way of coping with the loss of his parents.

But if what Sai was saying was true, then what he saw on Itachi's face that day might've been...guilt?

"The Uchiha family was planning a major power play that would result in a bloody war springing up among the Akatsuki families. Itachi came to us of his own volition when he found out what was happening; no one forced him into this."

All Naruto could manage was a quiet, " _fuck_ ". He reached for his beer and chugged it all in one go, not knowing what to think about what he just learned and not knowing how to respond.

"Does Sasuke know any of this?" Naruto asked.

"No," Yamato said, causing Naruto to turn his attention to him, "We had a close call after nearly being discovered by a former Akatsuki member, so we needed to keep him out of the loop for the time being. But we were hoping you could help us with the first contact, when the time came."

"You've got to be kidding me," Naruto said, shaking his head as he laughed incredulously, "You guys are _garbage_ to take advantage of Itachi the way you did, and you're even worse for leaving his brother hanging to dry. Tell me the truth—is Itachi alive? Or are you keeping that a secret too, like some sick Schrodinger experiment?"

The glances exchanged between Sai and Yamato told Naruto everything he needed. He slammed his fist onto the table, earning a few stares from the other people around them. But Naruto didn't care; he was too angry to think about being discreet.

"You guys want me to help you, but you gave me more questions than answers. If you can't tell me what happened with Itachi—fine. But fuck off if you think I'm going to put my ass on the line for your bullshit."

Naruto stormed out of the bar, stomping his way to his car down the street. How _dare_ these government fuckers just throw their weight around like they own the place! If they wanted Naruto's cooperation, they would need to do much more than come begging on their knees.

Just as he wrenched his car door open, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and found himself being spun around forcefully. As he landed with his back pushed up against his car, the air rushed from his lungs, causing him to wheeze as he took in the air he lost. When he got his bearings, the blond realized Yamato was pinning him down, his forearm pressed up against his neck. Meanwhile, Sai stood nearby, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's your fucking problem?" Naruto growled, staring dead into Yamato's eyes, "You're that mad that I won't be one of your puppets?"

"Hardly," Yamato responded, "But we weren't finished with our discussion."

Naruto pushed Yamato off him with relative ease before growling out, "Fine. So let's _discuss_."

"Let's get in the car," Sai said.

Sai rounded the car and got into the front passenger seat, while Naruto and Yamato reluctantly got into the driver and backseat, respectively. When they got into the dead quiet of the car, all Naruto could think about was how pissed off he was.

"You two would make very bad teammates," Sai said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, no shit," Naruto growled, "So what else do we have to fucking talk about?"

Yamato mumbled something angrily from the backseat as he crossed his arms. The blond paid no attention to him, only keeping his eyes on Sai, who gave him a sidelong glance before looking out the front windshield (as if there was anything interesting to stare at other than the back of the car they were parked behind).

"To answer your first question—yes, Itachi is alive. But I'm hoping you'll keep that information to yourself, for the time being."

"Sai!" Yamato seethed.

Sai turned around in his seat and met his colleague with a blank stare. As they had their stare-off, the tension in the car rose, but finally Sai let out a huff. All Naruto could do in the meantime was stare at the two of them, his anger ebbing away ever so slightly as curiosity took over; they were certainly a strange pair.

But the fact was that _Itachi was alive_. Naruto felt his heart beat so hard and fast, he didn't know what to do with himself. He felt a strange mix of happiness and frustration blend within him—happiness that Itachi was, indeed, alive, but frustration at having to keep that information from Sasuke.

"Unless you've been spacing out during our entire conversation, I doubt Naruto will be so accommodating to our requests unless we give him a good reason to help. So I'm sorry, Yamato, but we're going to do this my way."

The pale man hardly seemed apologetic to his colleague, and when he turned to Naruto, there was something resolute about the way he looked at him.

"I would be one of the first to admit that the A8 Task Force has done some...less than admirable things to further its mission. But we need your assistance, Naruto. We know that you have a connection with Sasuke, but that's only one part of what we're asking of you. With Akatsuki being our primary target, we're unable to keep an eye on any other key players like Danzo Shimura, who we know you currently work for."

At that, Naruto furrowed his eyebrows and responded, "I don't know what you think I do, but I just babysit his kid. Glorified nanny, like I said before."

"I know we're asking a lot out of you, Naruto," Sai said, as if ignoring him, "but you're in a unique position that could give us the upper hand. Danzo is causing quite a stir within Akatsuki at the moment, and while we have our informants throughout the organization, the more information we have of _everything_ that's going on, the better we can play our hand. If you do your part to help us take them down, then Sasuke has a greater chance of regaining some semblance of a regular life."

For a guy who was socially inept as he was, Sai was _really_ good at persuasion. Or maybe Naruto was just a simple guy with simple needs and desires. Either way, the idea of Sasuke having the chance to return to a normal life was more than enough to garner his attention and consideration. If the feds could really give Sasuke that, then wasn't it worth Naruto playing his part?

Naruto sighed, " _If_ —and I said _**if**_ —I were to say yes, then can you guys guarantee Sasuke immunity? I grew up with the guy, and he never wanted to handle any of that mafia bullshit. The way I see it, it's _your_ fault he's in this situation right now. So the least you could do is not press any charges against him."

Yamato let out a dramatic sigh from the backseat, but Sai ignored him.

"I think we can manage that," Sai replied.

"Not good enough. I need a guarantee. In writing."

"You fucking punk—" Yamato started.

"Yamato! It's fine," Sai said before turning his attention to Naruto, "It's still technically a little early to be discussing that, since we won't have any use for Sasuke until we've apprehended or taken out the other Akatsuki members, but we can definitely arrange immunity as long as Sasuke is willing to testify against the others."

Naruto had no idea how long it would take for the A8 Task Force to wrap up its mission, given that it'd already been in operation for a decade. But the option for immunity was there for Sasuke, if he wished for it. That sealed the deal for the blond to play his part.

"What do you need me to do, then?" Naruto asked, finally calm enough to think through his next steps.

"Keep an eye on Danzo and report back to us regularly. We'll contact you a few days before to arrange a time and place," Sai said.

Naruto nodded, knowing he was sealing his fate by agreeing to this madness.

oooOOooo

"You're _what_?"

When Sasuke went to meet Naruto at a low-key diner just outside of the NoPa district after his last meeting for the day, the last thing he expected to hear from his on-again boyfriend was that he was _moving in_ with his boss. Naruto looked down at his pancakes (honestly, who ordered _pancakes_ for dinner?) while he mumbled out the news.

It was surprising, to be sure, but Sasuke was more annoyed that Naruto hadn't even taken the time to talk it out with him. He understood that Naruto probably did it for Konohamaru's sake, but he at least wanted to be included in the final decision-making process.

"I told you, it'll only be for a little while. Six months—tops. Danzo's been bugging me about it, and if I refuse now, it'll look bad."

Though what Naruto was saying was true—mafia bosses _could_ be rather demanding—it didn't change the fact that Sasuke was mad that his _boyfriend_ was moving into a dangerous man's house. But if he knew anything about Naruto, it was that the blond was actually pretty good at taking care of himself. Sasuke knew he probably didn't have to worry about Naruto's safety, but still...

"I get it," Sasuke sighed, picking up his coffee mug and taking a sip of the scalding liquid, "but I wish we could've at least talked about it before you accepted the offer."

Naruto reached across the table and grabbed Sasuke's hands. Sasuke couldn't help but allow his anger to melt away as those pink lips kissed each of his knuckles with tender care. When the blond was done, he looked up at Sasuke with those bright, blue eyes.

"I'm sorry."

The brunet wanted to be mad, but try as he might, his anger melted away when he looked at Naruto's expression. He knew he was weak to the blond, but it was becoming more and more obvious as the days went by.

Perhaps it would be better if they took a break from one another, giving Sasuke a chance to recalibrate himself and Naruto to stay at the Shimura household without endangering himself. The thought of them going on a break so soon after they'd made up caused a knot to tighten in Sasuke's stomach, but it wasn't as if they'd be able to see each other often, anyway.

Sasuke sighed again, pulling his hand away, "Let's take a break from this, Naruto."

Almost immediately, the blond shot up from his seat, slamming his hands on the table and causing their utensils to clatter on their plates. The chatter in the diner quieted momentarily, and Sasuke ducked his head lower in their booth.

"You're breaking up with me? _Already?_ " Naruto asked, eyes wide.

When Sasuke gestured for Naruto to sit back down, he was surprised that the blond complied without any argument. But he wasn't surprised to see the tears welling up in Naruto's eyes. The brunet sighed and locked his fingers as he looked out the window.

"The idea is just as appalling to me, but with the way things are right now, it might be best."

"You're that mad about me deciding to move in on my own?"

The hurt in Naruto's voice was clear, but Sasuke shut his eyes to steel himself against his own emotions.

"No, I'm actually okay with it," Sasuke said as he looked back up to meet Naruto's eyes.

"Then...why?"

Sasuke knew it had to be said, but he found his throat dry and his tongue heavy in his mouth. He took a moment to take a swig of water and to compose himself. It wasn't as if he'd planned to come to this late-night rendezvous with Naruto to break up with him, but given Naruto's update and their situation, it was the most logical next step.

But he also didn't want Naruto to know how much he was affecting his work. If Sasuke knew Naruto as well as he did, the blond would likely want to blame himself for Sasuke's recent sub-par performance, even if that performance were related to the family business he despised so much.

"You said Danzo probably knows about us, right? This is a chance to throw him off and have him think he was wrong about us. And if your new living arrangements are only temporary, then we'll be back together in no time."

He knew it was a half-baked excuse, but Sasuke didn't know how else to convince Naruto that this was the best option for them.

After a few tense minutes of Naruto staring hard at his dinner and Sasuke staring out the window, Naruto finally pulled his gaze up to meet Sasuke's.

"Okay," Naruto said, eyes watery and his lips turned downward in a remorseful expression, "I guess we wouldn't be able to see each other much, anyway."

Sasuke gave Naruto a reassuring smile as he reached across the table and held those tan hands in his.

"It's only temporary."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Meep. Naruto and Sasuke are turning into one of those "on-again, off-again" couples. All in the name of _practicality._ *sigh*

I had a really fun time fleshing out Sai and Yamato in this chapter though. Sai had some character development while we weren't looking, and Yamato's just a "by-the-book" piece of shit. lol.

Though this story isn't 100% driven by smut, I hope you're getting some enjoyment out of the effort I'm putting into weaving the plot together! The doves' complicated lives are only going to get more complicated from here on out, so hang tight. ;)


	8. Leeway

**Author's Note:** Hello, loves! Wonderful to see you all again. This chapter's slightly shorter than the others, but I couldn't find a better place to stop...otherwise, this chapter would be, like, way long. And I think a story like this benefits from not having too much action + plot-driving packed in at once.

There's also an implied physical relationship between Sasuke and not-Naruto in this update. Buuuuuut I couldn't resist writing the scene out. Since it's going to be explicit, it's going to be available only on AO3, so you'll need to head over there to read it. If you're not interested in reading Sasuke being with anyone other than Naruto, you can just skip it.

* * *

"Naruto! I want pork chops for dinner!"

The blond whisked his way through the kitchen, paying no mind to the brunet kid chasing after him until Konohamaru bumped into him. Naruto looked mildly annoyed, but he simply set the pan down on the stovetop and ruffled Konohamaru's hair.

"I already told you—I'm making chicken parmesan, Kono. I'll make pork chops tomorrow. Now, grab three eggs out of the fridge and beat them together for me, will ya?"

Danzo sat at the kitchen table, out of the way of the blustering pair, reading the day's newspaper. There wasn't anything remotely noteworthy that he didn't already know, but it was always interesting to see what the media would write about. It was obvious how much Uchiha money influenced what was written and what was kept out of the papers.

But Danzo was set on changing that.

Soon after Naruto moved in, the mafia boss took advantage of what he assumed would be a mentally trying time for Sasuke. And sure enough, the shoot-up he ordered on the Uchiha warehouse worked to their favor; after Danzo's men took out the handful of men stationed there, they took over the warehouse and were currently securing it as their own. Of course, there was hardly a peep in the newspaper about it, other than a fifth-page article with the headline, "Mysterious Warehouse Deaths Still Under Investigation".

The next step, Danzo thought as he set his newspaper down and watched as Konohamaru and Naruto boisterously started up dinner, was to cause more ruckus for the Uchiha family. He'd contact the largest vendors and contractors working with the Uchihas to try to get them to switch their business to the Shimura family. His goal wasn't to actually convince all of them to switch their allegiance, but rather, to cause the Uchiha family a bit more chaos, which would in turn cause some additional disturbance within Akatsuki.

Things were going well—almost too well, if Danzo had an opinion on it. But he wasn't going to work himself up over coincidences or karma, or any of that; instead, he was going to focus on the cold, hard facts. And that included the fact that Sasuke was making loads more mistakes than usual.

"Oi, Kono! You're going to get the flour everywhere!"

Danzo looked up in time to see Konohamaru drop a large piece of chicken into the bowl of flour, causing a huge cloud to puff out and spill all over the counter. As Naruto chastised Konohamaru further, Danzo chuckled, causing the kid to turn around. The front of his blue t-shirt was completely covered in flour, and Danzo laughed more at the sight. In turn, Konohamaru grinned and chuckled before Naruto lightened up and joined in on the laughter.

Yes, everything was coming up roses.

oooOOooo

The first time that Naruto met up with the two federal agents after their first encounter at the dive bar was scheduled during a grocery trip at the supermarket. Though the blond thought it was highly overdone, the way that Yamato sidled up to him as they browsed the cereal aisle, he couldn't blame their wariness. It was probably what kept them under wraps for so long without being discovered.

"Anything worthy to note?" Yamato said, getting right to the point.

"Not that I can think of," Naruto replied, leaning forward to pick up a box of granola cereal, "Like I told you guys before, I'm just a nanny. There's not a lot of information that comes my way."

The other clicked his tongue, and Naruto narrowed his eyes. He put the cereal back on the shelf and mindlessly scanned the other boxes as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"There must be _something_ you can get your hands on. Does he have a home office?"

"Yeah, I go in there to dust once a week, but he hardly leaves anything out."

"How about the drawers? Do you know if they're locked? There has to be something you can give us."

Naruto rolled his eyes. If Yamato was ever the type to snoop, the blond was sure he'd be caught rather easily. There was such a thing as patience.

Though, Naruto could understand Yamato's position; Naruto was likely their first lead in a while, and wanting to push for results as quickly as possible was probably all the man could think about.

"If I start snooping around, I'm going to be putting my ass on the line. So _sorry_ if that makes me nervous," Naruto growled, moving to pick up another box of cereal.

Yamato sighed, and a silence fell between them. The stern man leaned forward to pick up a box of raisin bran cereal, immediately turning it to the nutrition panel. Naruto tried not to laugh at how serious(ly ridiculous) Yamato looked and instead turned his focus to the kid's maze activity on the back of the box he'd picked up.

"There's a lot riding on this entire operation, and Danzo's a huge blind spot for us. If we don't know what's going on with him, anything else we do could end up fatal. So I'm sorry if it means pushing you, but we need any intel we can get. Sai will probably be the last to admit it, but we're desperate."

Naruto returned with a sigh, throwing the box of cereal (which incidentally was one of Konohamaru's favorites) into his cart before looking for something for Danzo. He reached up to the top shelf for plain corn flakes, throwing it into the cart as well, before turning his attention back to Yamato for a brief moment.

"I'll take a look around his office, but I can't promise I'll find anything, even then."

Yamato nodded curtly, then, with the box of raisin bran, headed off to the front of the store to the cashiers. The blond spared no further attention to the other man, pushing his cart towards the back of the store, and it was as if they didn't know each other at all.

oooOOooo

Sasuke sat back in his chair, gripping a tumbler of whiskey elegantly with the pads of his fingers. He was on a conference call with Akatsuki, which he'd called after finally receiving confirmation from the Yamanaka's that it was, in fact, Danzo's men who had hijacked their ballistics shipment and driven the truck into their garage (see chapter 4 for a refresher).

"The Yamanaka's were more than cooperative, and I have enough evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Danzo ordered the hijack," Sasuke said, watching the amber liquid in his tumbler as he swirled it.

" _I hate that conniving fucker anyway, so I'm in favor of taking him out of the picture,"_ Kisame growled.

Leave it to Kisame to lay out his opinion from the get-go. The Hoshigaki family was a powerful group operating within Kiri, the largest city in the Mizu province, and while most people had no reason to fear them, the ones who did _knew_ if they were on the Hoshigaki's shit list. There was nothing sneaky or underhanded with the way Kisame ran his family, and it was that fully disclosed, in-your-face aggression that Sasuke admired.

But it was not the way to go, not with someone like Danzo, who was the exact opposite to how Kisame operated.

" _I'm ready to take him out whenever, un,"_ Deidara said, clearly with a smirk on his face, " _I've got a nice_ _ **cocktail**_ _I've been working on, and this would be the perfect opportunity to debut it."_

Deidara Kawamoto, head of one of the families operating in Suna within the Kaze province, was a bit energetic for Sasuke's tastes, but he certainly knew his way around building bombs. If you needed a particular blast radius, or if you wanted something flashy—he was the guy you called. Though Deidara was known to be a bit hot-headed, and he was the type to think before he leapt.

" _Dei, I suggest tabling that for another purpose. It could get ugly if we openly go after Danzo,"_ Sasori said calmly.

The Sakurai family, headed by Sasori, shared territory with the Kawamoto family in Suna. Whereas Deidara was energetic and ready to jump at the first sign of action, Sasori was the type to wait in the shadows and emerge only when necessary. He was the efficient type and often reigned in Deidara when he was getting too rowdy.

" _As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, Kisame, Deidara—I agree with Sasori. If Danzo has decided to act_ _ **now**_ _, after all this time, it's likely that he's allied with any number of families, in and out of Konoha. If any of us retaliate, it might be grounds enough to start a nation-wide war. I'd rather we take a step back to consider all our options before deciding violence as the answer,"_ Nagato said.

Nagato would, of course, be the voice of reason. He was the leader of Akatsuki, of sorts, and though it was mostly an informal title appointed to him by the others, he took it as nothing more than an advisory position.

Of all the members of Akatsuki, Nagato was the one everyone knew the least about. He was supposedly one of the first members—if not the founder—of Akatsuki, but anytime he was questioned on it, the man would not give a definitive answer. His reason? "I don't want to be given more weight than anyone else simply because I was here first."

His family was not named after him like the others, either; his members each called themselves Pein, as did Nagato, and so the Kumo Police Department in the Kaminari province had had a tough time trying to pinpoint _who_ their leader was. Nagato was only known as Nagato within the upper ranks of Akatsuki, and though Sasuke found it a tiresome way to operate, he respected his colleague's cunning for having evaded the authorities for so long.

" _I agree with Nagato,"_ Konan said, her voice cutting through the momentary silence, " _Danzo is not the type of man to show his hand the way you are, Kisame. He's not beneath underhanded tactics."_

And then there was Konan Tanaka, who was more than capable of throwing her weight around within Akatsuki. She operated within Konoha alongside the Uchiha family, though her focus was mainly on money laundering through big banks. Konan was one of the very few people Sasuke could place his full trust in, even (and perhaps _especially_ ) within Akatsuki. In fact, she reminded Sasuke very much of his elder brother in the way she thought, spoke, and acted, which was likely why he had a soft spot for her. But Sasuke would never openly admit that to her or anyone else.

"And that's why I'd like for Kuroo and Shiroo to gather information on Danzo, before we make a decision on how to proceed. He's probably grown his network since we first caught wind of him, so let's be cautious until then," Sasuke said, commanding the call.

" _Like how cautious you are with your new playtoy?"_ Kuroo cooed.

" _Kuroo, that's rude. I thought we were going to be a bit more discreet about bringing it up,"_ Shiroo chastised.

Sasuke sighed. Kuroo and Shiroo Zetsu were identical twins, though to anyone outside of Akatsuki, they were known as one person: Zetsu Tobito. The Tobito family operated in the far-off city of Iwa in the Tsuchi province, but much of their work was so well under wraps that even the other members of Akatsuki hardly knew what was happening with them half the time. They were experts in reconnaissance, collecting and selling information to anyone willing to buy it. In addition to procuring information, they were highly capable of hiding their tracks.

Out of all the members of Akatsuki, the Zetsu brothers were the ones Sasuke trusted the least. It wasn't out of malice or anything in particular, other than their distrust of everyone other than each other. Kuroo and Shiroo were highly codependent, and it hardly helped that they shared an identity. But they held their own pretty well and offered information to the others if they stumbled upon it, which proved useful on more than one occasion.

"What I do with my free time is hardly your concern, Kuroo," Sasuke said, unfazed by the mention of his _playtoy_.

After Konan's warning a while ago, Sasuke prepared himself for any incoming inquiries about Naruto. The fact that the Zetsu brothers brought it up on a conference call with the other Akatsuki members was annoying, but hardly threatening.

" _Oh, interesting—you're trying to deflect your emotions. You're getting_ _ **really**_ _good at this, Sasuke,"_ Kuroo goaded.

The sounds of scuffling filled the call, and the others waited as they listening to Kuroo and Shiroo fighting in the background. They were hissing curses at one another, mainly, and it wasn't until Shiroo came back to the call that the conversation moved forward.

" _Apologies, Sasuke. Kuroo isn't the most tactful, but he does bring up a good point. We'll be keeping our ears open for anything else, but when the underworld whispers…"_ Shiroo said.

"Understood. You have my thanks, Shiroo," Sasuke said, "But please keep your brother in line, would you?"

" _ **No one**_ _keeps me in line, not even my broth—ngghaahh!"_ Kuroo shouted angrily before he was interrupted—likely by a hit from his brother.

Sasuke felt the tension on the call ease up a bit as the Zetsu brothers duked it out. The others were likely shaking their heads or rolling their eyes, ready to dismiss themselves from the call.

"Let's reconvene in a few days. Kuroo, Shiroo—we're counting on you to find out anything you can about Danzo. Everyone else, please tap into your networks for information as well."

After a series of acknowledgements from the whole of Akatsuki, they disconnected from the call one by one.

. . . . .

"Thanks for coming to meet with me, Suigetsu."

Sasuke gestured for the white-haired male to sit in the seat across from his desk. As Suigetsu settled in his seat, the brunet turned in his chair and pulled out a crystal tumbler along with a bottle of silver tequila. He poured two shots' worth and turned back around to hand it over to his associate, who took it with a grin.

"You know I can't turn ya down," Suigetsu admitted before taking a sip of his drink, "What do you need from me?"

The other man leaned forward so that his elbows rested on Sasuke's desk. Suigetsu was lucky; if anyone else were impeding on his personal space like this, Sasuke would have made it _very_ clear to back off. But instead, the brunet sat back in his seat, leaning on the right armrest as he picked up his own glass of whiskey.

Despite Suigetsu being his most recent lover before he hitched with Naruto, the relationship between the two of them was mostly professional. Hell, even the way their intimacy manifested was out of convenience; they'd met at Copper, while Suigetsu was meeting with a client and Sasuke with Konan. Sasuke was the first to excuse himself to the restroom and Suigetsu followed, and though that was their first encounter, neither felt the need to address why they engaged with each other in the bathroom that day.

Even now, as Sasuke coolly looked over his associate, he felt no boiling in his blood, nor the sense of possessiveness that overwhelmed him like when he was with Naruto.

It was all business with Suigetsu.

"I need information on Danzo Shimura, any trails related to him—bank transactions, land or company acquisitions. Anything that might suggest that he's planning something."

Suigetsu only hummed, pressing his hand against his left cheek as he propped himself up on his elbow. It would be an easy-enough job for a hacker as high level as Suigetsu, which was why Sasuke called him in the first place.

"I think I can manage that," Suigetsu said, raising his eyebrow as he smirked, "What're you thinking in terms of payment?"

There was that playful glint in his eye that Sasuke recognized, the first bit of foreplay Suigetsu threw out as bait in case the brunet wanted to bite.

And bite he did.

"Depends on what you can dig up," Sasuke said as he tilted his head, revealing a pale pillar of neck to the other, "but if you need payment up front…"

After leaving Naruto as abruptly as he did, Sasuke was at a level of sexual frustration he hadn't expected to reach in such a short amount of time. It'd only been about a week since their break up, but the brunet found himself irritated when it finally hit him that he wouldn't be able to see Naruto for a while. His emotions got all muddled when Naruto was concerned, but with Suigetsu, it was simple.

Perhaps that was why Sasuke felt compelled to call Suigetsu, not only because he was the man to do the job but also because he knew Sasuke needed this. At least between them, they played a game that they already knew the rules to; Sasuke would remain the aloof, cold-hearted, lone wolf, and Suigetsu would mold himself into the pleasing, passionate, _perfect_ lover. But it was all a game, and neither wanted to delve deeper than that.

As Suigetsu rounded the desk, Sasuke swiveled in his chair slowly, his eyes following the other until they were in front of each other. Suigetsu gently placed Sasuke's tumbler onto the desk to free up his hands, and the hacker placed his hands on the mafia boss's thighs. In response, Sasuke shut his eyes and let himself get lost in his senses.

Through Suigetsu's touches, Sasuke sighed as he imagined tanned hands that were touching him all over instead.

oooOOooo

Stealth was not his best trait, but Naruto knew how to be quiet and quick when it was needed. Konohamaru was at school, and Danzo was out of the house handling some business, so the blond knew he had some time to work himself up to digging into Danzo's desk.

He stepped into the office with the guise of dusting the room. No one else was supposed to be home other than the three men Danzo had assigned to the house during the day—one stationed towards the entrance of the house, the other two doing their rounds. But it would look a little suspicious if Naruto closed the door to Danzo's office, so he had to do his investigating quickly.

First, Naruto opened the window to air the room out as he dusted. He worked on the bookshelves first, aware that one of the men doing his rounds had peeked into the room as he went about dusting. A few minutes after the coast was clear, Naruto casually moved to the desk and, as expected, there was nothing noteworthy laid out on the tabletop.

With a deep inhale, Naruto calmed himself as he pushed the chair back from the desk and grabbed for the top drawer. He quietly pulled it out, the grating sound of wood on wood resounding in his ears much louder than he knew it likely was.

But there was nothing in that top drawer, other than some pens and a half-used receipt book. He closed that drawer and went for the next one, pulling out a largely inconspicuous leather-bound ledger.

"Bingo," Naruto said quietly under his breath as he set it on the desk.

The blond looked up, listening for any sounds of the men making their rounds. When he heard nothing, the blond looked down at the ledger and opened it up to a random page.

"Oda Miyamoto...three million USD...paid 15/04/2015...contract renewal… _shit_ ," Naruto whispered as he flipped through the pages.

The last thing Naruto thought he'd find in Danzo's home office was his _payment ledger_. There were payment records of all types, from contract renewals to "job completions". They were vaguely described, but Naruto understood this information was important to understanding what Danzo had been up to in the past few years. If only he had access to more information…

Naruto continued flipping through the pages, pausing every now and then to listen for any passerbys. It wasn't until he spotted a familiar name, however, that caused Naruto to double-take.

 _Kakashi Hatake...two-hundred fifty thousand USD...paid 03/08/2016...information._

Kakashi, as in, Sasuke's right hand man Kakashi? The presence of his name did not bode well. Naruto looked up again, his paranoia running into overdrive. After discovering that bit of information, the blond felt as if someone was going to catch him red-handed thumbing through the ledger. He fumbled to pull his phone from his pocket, and it took Naruto a few seconds to steady his hand and take a photo of the page.

Quietly, but quickly, Naruto shut the ledger and set it back in its drawer, pushing the wooden box back in place before pushing the chair back under the desk. He took in a deep breath and turned back to pick up the duster from the console underneath the windowsill. Naruto spent another ten minutes or so finishing up his dusting in the office, trying to act as natural as he could though his heart was pumping in anxiety. As he shut the door to the office, one of the men making his rounds came around the corner and nodded at him.

. . . . .

When Naruto revealed his findings to Sai, the other man didn't seem too concerned. To be fair, he had no personal stake with Sasuke, so it wasn't as if he felt the same urgency that Naruto felt.

"Danzo has Kakashi on the books for something. It's been a while since the payment was made, too, so if Sasuke's in danger—"

Sai held up his hand and took a sip of his coffee. They met up in a cafe this time, making it look like Naruto was stopping in for a morning cup of joe before he went off on his errands for the day. The two of them sat diagonally from one another at the high bar table situated in the middle of the cafe. The place was busy with other customers, so their sitting closely didn't look out of place.

"Just send me the photo. Here," Sai said as he grabbed Naruto's phone and tinkered with it before his own phone went off, "I'll send this to my team, but I can assure you—Sasuke is fine."

Naruto frowned and grabbed Sai's wrist, preventing him from picking up his cup of coffee.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" Sai asked, a fake smile finding its way on his face.

"You're telling me Sasuke isn't in any danger? And you expect me to accept that without a proper explanation? I'm helping you guys out because you need the help, but you need to at least meet me partway."

Sai continued to smile that horrible smile of his as he wrenched Naruto's hand off his wrist. The blond held on as long as he could, but the other was surprisingly strong for his size.

"There's a lot of risk in telling you too much. Yamato was very upset with me that I revealed so much information to you already, but we needed you to agree to help us. But right now, until we get a new lead, the there's not much more I can say."

Naruto sighed, frustrated, "Can't? Or won't?"

The pale man shrugged, bringing the paper cup up to his lips, pausing as he said, "Both. Even if I wanted to tell you everything, there's a reason why this is a federal matter. So believe me when I say Sasuke is safe—or don't. The choice is up to you. But if you tell Sasuke about the ledger, it might tip off Kakashi before we can decide what to do. So please just keep it to yourself for now. Okay?"

Naruto huffed and turned his attention to his own cup of coffee. He stared into the murky drink, letting the warmth of the cup seep through to his hands.

"Whatever," he mumbled.

Like hell if Sai was going to think he was going to keep this from Sasuke.

And as if he knew exactly what the blond was thinking, Sai just sighed.

. . . . .

Konohamaru bounded out of the study, singing some silly song at the top of his lungs as he headed for his room. Danzo had informed Naruto to get his son ready for dinner at a local burger joint, which was a nice change of pace for the kid, considering their usual fare of high-class steak at Copper. Though the invite was extended for Naruto to join them, the blond politely declined, insisting he wanted to enjoy a quiet night in.

The truth was, Naruto needed some time alone to call Sasuke. After his meeting with Sai earlier in the day, he wasn't about to let his... _whatever_ Sasuke was to him...go about blindly while a man close to him was a possible two-timer. Naruto felt anxious waiting for his chance, but he figured (and hoped) that if Kakashi was planning something, it was unlikely tonight would be the night he'd act.

The blond sent off Danzo and Konohamaru to dinner, and the three-man security team remained at the house as usual. He decided to make himself a light dinner, even offering to make something for the security guys who all thanked him but declined.

After dinner, Naruto made his way back to his room and found himself standing in the middle of it as his mind wandered. While it took little to no time to acclimate himself to the Shimura's evening and night schedules, he still felt out of place being in the house "after work hours" (though in reality, Naruto was now essentially working around the clock).

Though Danzo had given him freedom to inhabit any of the other ten bedrooms in the mansion, Naruto picked one of the smallest ones. It was still rather sizeable, with plenty of space to stretch his legs out even with the queen size bed in the middle of it. His room was located in the west wing of the house, while Danzo's and Konohamaru's were located in the east wing, so he could at least grant himself a bit of "distance" from work if he needed.

The walls were painted light blue with white crown molding and ash wood floors, covered partially by a round light blue plush rug off to the side of the bed. The bed itself was a four-poster oak wood frame with a memory foam queen size mattress. At Danzo's insistence and to Naruto's hesitance, they had replaced the old box-spring mattress for something newer.

Naruto wasn't used to this level of comfort and luxury, so he found himself feeling even more out of place when he tried to make himself at home. It felt like he was staying in a four-star hotel room, and it didn't help that he was only planning on staying temporarily.

He sighed, setting himself down on his bed and pulling his phone from his pocket. Sai's warning from earlier was completely dismissed to the far corners of his mind as he dialed Sasuke's number from memory. Feds or not, this was something Naruto _needed_ to tell Sasuke about. It was his safety they were talking about!

For whatever reason, Naruto felt his hands sweat uncomfortably as the call rang, waiting for the other line to pick up. The blond would simply warn Sasuke, then get off the phone. It wouldn't do to get hung up on his off-again lover so soon after their established break.

" _Naruto?"_

Yup, Naruto was definitely feeling nervous being on the phone with Sasuke, but when he'd finally heard the other say his name (even if it was in surprise), Naruto felt his heart pang uncomfortably. The blond would be lying if he said he didn't miss Sasuke. It almost seemed like their short week together was all just a dream, and that thought deflated Naruto. He shifted himself farther into the middle of the bed, seating himself fully as he crossed his legs.

No matter how much it hurt him to hear the other's voice, he pressed on.

"Hey, Sasuke."

"I wasn't expecting a call from you."

Sasuke hoped his tone wasn't flippant; he was just stating a fact, but he was actually surprised to hear from the blond so soon. But then a strange, twisting feeling churned in his gut as he thought about his evening rendezvous with Suigetsu. It _wasn't_ cheating, he insisted on telling himself, since they were on a break.

Right?

He still missed Naruto like hell, and hearing the other's voice was like ripping out the stitches to a fresh wound too early. But he was glad to hear Naruto all the same. Sasuke settled on his bed and sat back against the headboard, bringing a knee up to lean on while the other leg stretched out straight in front of him. The late call felt a little nostalgic, like they were teens in high school again.

" _Yeah, I know. Look,"_ Naruto said, " _I don't want to take up too much of your time. You should look into investigating all your men. And I mean_ _ **all**_ _of them."_

It was an odd suggestion to make, especially coming from Naruto, who _shouldn't_ have any ties into the dark underworld… Sasuke gripped his phone tightly and swallowed hard.

"What? Where's this coming from, Naruto?"

" _Don't ask. Just—trust me, okay? Go for a third-party audit. Don't use any of your men for this. I don't know how far deep this goes."_

"Naruto, you're scaring me. Is everything okay?"

" _I'm_ _ **fine**_ _, I swear. I just...found some things while I was cleaning Danzo's office."_

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes tightly, his grip still strong on his phone as he tried to keep calm. He wasn't sure what was happening with Naruto, but it didn't _sound_ like he was fine. There the blond went, going about and trying to take care of situations by himself. _Again._

"Naruto, tell me the truth. _Why_ are you living with the Shimura's? I accepted your decision to move there because I assumed you were going to take care of Konohamaru—that's it."

" _...and that hasn't changed."_

"Okay," Sasuke said, his frustration becoming clear after he let out a huff, "so then _why_ are you digging around for information? You know it's dangerous if anyone finds out."

" _I'm well aware of the consequences, Sasuke,"_ Naruto said in a clipped manner, " _But I just happened to stumble upon some information while I was_ _ **cleaning**_ _. Don't get upset at me for doing my job."_

Sasuke growled, getting up from the bed as he paced in his bedroom, " **Fuck** , Naruto. We broke it off because I wanted to keep you safe. This is _not_ being safe. You're risking your _**life**_ , and for what? A little bit of information to keep me out of trouble? That's not worth jeopardizing your safety."

After a moment of silence and a frustrated sigh from the other end of the line, Naruto growled right back, " _We're not arguing about this."_

"I just want to know you're okay, Naruto. If you're in trouble, you need to tell me. I _need_ you to be safe."

There was silence on the other line. Sasuke waited, hoping Naruto was taking the time to think it through. He knew that if he said the wrong thing, it would shut the blond up in a heartbeat. That was just the way he operated.

Then a soft sigh came through the line.

" _I found one of Danzo's ledgers. Kakashi Hatake's name was listed, with a payment of two-hundred fifty thousand. The notes listed 'information', but god knows what that means."_

The silence gave Sasuke time to think, but he knew better than to panic. There had to be a reason why Kakashi's name was listed in that ledger.

"You saw this with your own eyes?"

" _Yeah. I have a photo of the page. Do you want me to send it to you?"_

"Yeah, please."

" _Okay, I'll send it to you in a few minutes. But I have to go now. I'll talk to you...at some point."_

Before Sasuke could say a proper goodbye, Naruto disconnected from the call. The brunet cursed and threw his phone onto his bed, bringing both his knees up to his chest as he hugged them close. He only glanced at his phone when it chimed, likely indicating the blond's promised photo.

Only after some contemplating did Sasuke reach over to his phone. He unlocked it and stared at the photo Naruto sent. Sure enough, there was Kakashi's name. Sasuke sighed, unsure of how to bring it up with his executive.

Sasuke sent one final message to Naruto before he resolved himself to cut off future communication:

' _Be safe. I love you.'_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There are actually quite a lot of members in Akatsuki, and though I've got a reference sheet for the cities + provinces in this story, I know it's a lot to keep track of. So would it be helpful if I linked to a document that listed all that info? Let me know, and I'll make it available to anyone who's interested in understanding the dynamics of this world.

Also, if you can spare a moment to leave me a review with your thoughts, I'd be greatly appreciative. :)


	9. Complicated

**A/N:** Heyo! Sooo, I know it's been a while, but I promise it's not because I gave up on this. Far from it. The last time I posted, I was in-between jobs trying to look for my next gig, while fighting a mild case of depression. Long story short, I took some time for myself (and with the help of my SO) to focus on improving my mental health. The topper was me finding an awesome job where I feel like I'm really making a difference. It feels really, really good, guys.

I've been slowly working on this chapter over the past six months, so I'm sorry if some parts seem fragmented. Hope you enjoy anyway...

* * *

' _Be safe. I love you.'_

Naruto stared at the message that lit up his phone's screen, but he just threw his phone onto his duvet, screen side down. It wouldn't be any use to get too attached now that they were "taking a break". He wished he could've spent more time with Sasuke, but things were moving quickly and he had to contemplate his next moves.

Sai wouldn't be happy that he'd tipped Sasuke off, but Naruto felt no remorse for any of the consequences that might ensue, especially if it would possibly prevent Sasuke from getting into any danger. As long as Sasuke _knew_ there was a threat, he'd be able to handle the rest.

The blond fell backwards onto the bed, staring up at the blank ceiling absentmindedly. He didn't know what else he could do to help Sasuke _or_ the feds, and frankly, it left him feeling somewhat frustrated and anxious. These feelings were similar to what he'd felt during his first year of college, when he knew something was up with Sasuke. At the time, he had wondered if the brunet, in all his attractive aura and glow, was cheating on him. Being physically separated as they were then-Sasuke in Konoha, Naruto in Suna-the blond couldn't do much except hole himself up in his dorm and focus on his studies to drive away all the misery that crept up on him daily.

When he had left Sasuke the summer after his first year of college (with Sasuke having never attended Sound University), Naruto knew he had left the other in an inexplicably cold-hearted way. But the Naruto of that time had been young, naive, and scared. Did he now regret having walked away from Sasuke back then? Sure, but it wasn't as if he could go back in time and convince himself to stay with his lover. Instead, the best he could do was move forward and think about how he could help Sasuke _now_.

But what was the best way to do that?

Naruto knew, despite his hope that the feds were supposed to be "the good guys", that there was always the possibility that he was being used by them to get closer to the Uchiha and Shimura families. After all, the way Sai had brushed aside Naruto's discovery of Kakashi's name in Danzo's ledger had the blond suspicious. He could have pushed harder, but Sai had seemed pretty damn sure that Sasuke wasn't in any danger. But Sai _had_ mentioned keeping quiet so that Kakashi wouldn't be tipped off… The blond let out a growl, mad at himself for failing to push for more information. He'd done it before, and Sai, though reluctantly, had eventually shared the information that he wanted.

Maybe Sai didn't exactly want to screw him over, and maybe not Yamato either, but they didn't represent the whole of the task force, never mind each of the federal divisions involved. There was a good chance that Naruto and Sasuke were low on their list of priorities, at least in the grand scheme of it all. But the feds were probably the best chance at getting Sasuke out of his crime life, as long as the mafia boss agreed to cooperate-which was a whole other hurdle that Naruto would have to attempt at some point.

Until then, Naruto wanted to find a way to insert himself just _a little_ deeper into everything, just enough so that he wasn't entirely clueless if and when he was needed. He knew his allegiance would likely be tested if he went down this route, but at the end of it all, Naruto knew he'd do almost anything for Sasuke. No one else mattered.

oooOOooo

Suigetsu reported back to Sasuke just a couple days after he requested the information on Danzo. Of course, the hacker had called using a burn phone, untraceable to its source and thrown away after a short period of time. By this point Sasuke knew to pick up any calls that came from unknown numbers.

But the news Suigetsu brought was not at all telling.

" _There were a lot of significant transactions in the past few months coming from Danzo's accounts. But it will take me some time to look into where they all got routed to."_

"Look into them. I'll make sure to pay you well for your work."

" _You got it. While I have you on the phone… why don't we meet up a little later? For some advance payment, that is,"_ Suigetsu purred from the other end of the line.

After their last rendezvous, though Sasuke had been all but willing to play, he now had made up his mind to keep his work and play far separate from one another. It was for the sake of his family, he insisted, not because he felt guilty about playing around while Naruto was off doing god knows what in the Shimura household…

"As much as I enjoyed our previous meetings, I will have to decline this and any future offers. I would appreciate if we could maintain a strictly professional relationship from now on."

Sasuke thought he heard a sigh on the other line, and he waited for Suigetsu to acknowledge his request.

" _Party pooper,"_ Suigetsu said, pep filling his voice despite the rejection, " _I figured this wasn't going to last forever, but we had a good run while it lasted."_

The mafia boss didn't know what to say to that, so he waited again for Suigetsu to continue. He was secretly appreciative of the other not pressing him for his reasons for calling it all off. Again, it was why he chose to fraternize with Suigetsu in the first place; the man didn't ask too many unnecessary questions.

" _Anyway, I'll dig deeper and get you more info as soon as I sift through it all. But,"_ Suigetsu paused, likely weighing the pros and cons of what he was contemplating on saying next, " _if you ever happen to change your mind and want to meet up...all you need to do is ask."_

Instead of arguing with the hacker for his cheekiness, Sasuke decided to just let it go.

"Goodbye, Suigetsu. We'll speak soon."

oooOOooo

Naruto stopped just outside the light oak wood door that led into Danzo's home office. He had had a few restless nights after his call with Sasuke, trying to decide what to do. But he didn't think he had any better option-not if he wanted to keep in the loop.

He walked into the office after knocking and receiving a welcome from his boss. Danzo was looking over some papers, not looking up when he walked in.

"Naruto, what can I do for you?"

"Sir," Naruto said as he dipped his head, "I wanted to talk to you about your offer to...upgrade my responsibilities. I'd like to remain Konohamaru's caretaker, but I was hoping you'd be willing to add on a few extra responsibilities."

That was when Danzo put his papers down and looked up at Naruto, giving him his full attention. As usual, Naruto couldn't tell what his boss was thinking, but the man had sat up straighter in his seat.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, sir."

Danzo shifted his posture so that he was leaving forward on his desk, clearly intrigued and excited at the news. Though to anyone else who wasn't familiar to his ever so slight mannerisms, it would've seemed he was pretty impartial.

"You seemed content with your current responsibilities, the last time we discussed it. What changed your mind?"

Naruto knew his boss would ask. He had to treat this _promotion_ , so to speak, like any other job interview, and so with the last few nights of contemplation, he prepared his answers to his boss's very likely questions. If he was going to go all in on this, he couldn't do things half-assed-not when he was placing himself in very real danger going forward.

"I've been thinking about it a lot since then. It's just that-well, I've never been the smartest kid, and I never really fit in with the other kids growing up. When you gave me the option to move up, I didn't think I had it in me. I still don't, to be honest, but I'm tired of being afraid. And I think this opportunity will help me get over that."

He wasn't sure how Danzo viewed him, but Naruto figured his revealing an overly emotional side of himself-one deeply rooted in doubt-would be the best bait to get Danzo to bite. Taking in young, troubled youths was a common ploy that many gangs took, and Naruto was all too familiar with how it all worked.

Luckily, Danzo seemed extremely pleased with Naruto's answer and openly smiled at him. It left Naruto unnerved, but at least he was winning favor with his boss.

"There's more to you than meets the eye," Danzo said, his smile falling slightly as he returned his expression to neutral, "I underestimated you, it seems."

Naruto shook his head as he responded, "I think you estimated me fine, sir."

Danzo sat back in his chair and continued to gaze at Naruto. Then he leaned forward on his desk again, lacing his fingers together.

"I believe I do have some use for you in between taking care of Konohamaru, but I hope you understand that this is a full commitment-not only for you, but for the Shimura family as well. I propose we hold a trial run before we make anything permanent. I'd like for you to join me on a meeting tomorrow at noon."

A trial run? An opportunity had presented itself to Naruto, and it was too good to pass up. He wondered briefly what would happen if the trial didn't go well, but… he probably didn't have to think too hard to guess.

"Yes, sir. I would be honored to join you. Thank you."

"I'm looking forward to having you come along. Make sure you're in your suit. If you're in need of one, go to Hatanaka's at the north end of Six Paths. Now, was there anything else you needed from me?"

When Naruto shook his head, he bade Danzo a good night and exited the office. As he made it back to his room, the blond was somehow as calm as he'd ever been. But the moment he shut his bedroom door, Naruto leaned back against the door and pressed a hand to his chest to calm his racing heart. He'd never looked someone in the eye and _lied_ like that, nevermind the fact that he was signing himself up to join the Shimura family.

The blond was going to be in for a hell of a ride.

oooOOooo

"Sir, we've arrived at Stonewall Manor."

The driver slowed the large luxury SUV until it stopped underneath the front awning, with the car door aligned directly with the manor doors. Naruto opened his own door while the driver stepped out and opened Danzo's door for him. Danzo was still in the middle of stepping out of the car when a man in a crisp black suit walked out from the manor through the open double doors to greet them.

"Mr. Shimura, we were expecting you. Come in, and welcome. And this young sir is…?"

Naruto fought the urge to smile in greeting, as he was apt to do in any social setting. But he was following Danzo along on a business meeting, and the last thing he needed was to come off as young and naive. Instead, he kept his expression rather neutral, waiting for Danzo to answer on his behalf.

"Naruto Uzumaki. He is accompanying me on a trial run while he learns a bit about the business."

The black-suited man paused for a moment, then bowed shallowly at Naruto in greeting.

"Ah, very good. Well, please come this way, Mr. Shimura. Mr. Uchiha is in the main hall."

The very mention of the Uchiha surname caused Naruto's stomach to lurch uncomfortably. _Uchiha?_ Naruto suddenly started to feel weak in the legs, his mind going into instant overdrive as he followed after Danzo and the man who he assumed was a security detail.

As the trio made their way into the manor, though Naruto was distracted by the impending meeting with Sasuke, he briefly glanced over the place and marveled at now opulent and extravagant everything was. Stonewall Manor was largely a venue for weddings, banquets, parties-you name it. Naruto even had his high school prom here. But returning to the place which was now owned and operated by the Uchiha family made his stomach clench.

It felt much longer than the two minutes it took for them to walk down the hall, through the tunnel leading from the front foyer and into the main hall at the other side of the Manor. Naruto could feel himself breaking out in a sweat, and he felt as if his mind, hazy from overwhelming anxiety, had disembodied itself from his physical form. Even looking down at his hands, the blond realized his senses had dulled and his timing completely off as if he were drunk.

Naruto could feel his body sway when they stopped in front of the double doors leading into the main hall. He looked over the two guards that flanked the doors, M16's in their hands as if it were the most normal thing in the world. When they opened the doors and he and Danzo were ushered into the hall, Naruto felt his mouth and throat go completely dry.

"Mr. Shimura has arrived, sir."

Naruto tried to look everywhere except right in front of him, where there was a small rectangular banquet table settled haphazardly in the middle of the large hall. The young Uchiha was seated at the head of the table facing them, looking up from his papers strewn over the table. He motioned over his shoulder and Kakashi stepped forward to organize the papers while Sasuke stood from his seat and made his way over to them.

The brunet, smoothly maneuvering his way over, barely paid any attention to Naruto, who was a downright mess.

 _Be cool. Be. Cool._

Naruto inhaled sharply through his nose when he looked over at Sasuke, and he had to rouse everything in him to keep from breaking down.

"Danzo," the brunet said, dipping his head in a polite nod as he gripped the other man's good hand.

"Sasuke," Danzo greeted, returning with a small incline of his head, "my condolences for your loss. I know Mr. Ansen was a friend of yours. It's a shame, given how young he was…"

The younger mafia boss tensed, Naruto managed to notice even in his haze, but the blond averted his eyes elsewhere before he was caught staring.

"Thank you. I don't wish to be rude, but let's get to our main discussion points today, shall we? There are a number of things we need to go over."

"Of course. But before we begin, I'd like to introduce you to my new protege, Naruto Uzumaki. It's his first day, so I hope you'll go easy on him."

Sasuke finally turned his attention to Naruto and, with those blazing, dark eyes, stared him down like a predator would. But he simply put his hand out and they shook hands, Sasuke's grip a little too tight for comfort.

"Of course, Naruto Uzumaki. We attended Konoha Academy together, back in the day."

The blond swallowed, but his throat was inexplicably dry as he nodded his head in greeting, his gaze falling to the floor.

"So you two already know each other," Danzo said, clapping a hand on Naruto's shoulder and jostling him only slightly out of his stupor, "Splendid. I hope you'll lend Naruto your wisdom, Sasuke."

"Of course. Now," Sasuke said as they walked to the table, changing the pace of their conversation, "for our first point of business…"

Naruto barely registered what Sasuke was saying, with all sounds muffling and the slight ringing piercing his ears. It wasn't until he paid attention to his breathing that he realized he was close to hyperventilating, his exhales coming out heavy and labored. Danzo had moved to take a seat at the banquet table, a chair over from Sasuke at the end of the table, but Naruto remained standing, immobile as he tried to control himself.

 _What were Sasuke and Danzo talking about?_ His blue eyes looked over at the pair, and though Sasuke wasn't even looking at him, Naruto knew that _he knew_ his gaze was sharp on him. It was getting difficult for Naruto to pay attention with his hazy mind and muffled hearing, however. The blond was only able to pick up a few words spoken between the two, and he took one deep breath as a last-ditch effort to calm himself.

"Sasuke, we could have handled all this on the phone. Surely there was something specific you wanted to talk about?" Danzo said, his inquisitive tone nothing more than slight inflections in his speaking.

Sasuke looked up at Danzo, his expression as neutral as ever.

"Yes, there is something," he said as he leaned forward and pressed his elbows onto the table, lacing his fingers together, "I wanted to speak with you about the Shimuras' recent... moves against the Uchihas."

"Oh?"

"Please, spare me the theatrics, Danzo," Sasuke said drily as he gestured for one of his men to bring a bottle of scotch and two glasses, "Let's set aside our family names and talk about this, man to man."

Naruto couldn't even concentrate on the conversation at hand, and he blinked his eyes slowly, hoping his symptoms would just go away. But as his heart raced, the blond felt the blood drain from his face, leaving himself lightheaded and weak. He grabbed the back of Danzo's chair to steady himself, but the stumble was more than enough for both Danzo and Sasuke to turn their attention to him.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Danzo asked, sounding somewhat worried.

His head was in a haze and his hearing muffled, but Naruto could at least muster a quick shake of the head to signify that, _no_ , he wasn't all right.

"Saburo, if you would please escort Mr. Uzumaki to the restroom," Sasuke directed almost immediately.

"I'm-," Naruto started, though he immediately shut up when Sasuke sent him a brief glare while Danzo was turned to him.

Instead of putting up a fight, he simply muttered his thanks to Sasuke and excused himself from the room, walking slowly and shakily while Saburo offered his shoulders to lean on.

As soon as Naruto left the room, Sasuke let his concern fall way to the anger that bubbled inside him.

Danzo's _protege_? What in the _fuck_ was that blond idiot thinking? He let his stoic demeanor falter for a moment when he glared at Naruto, but Sasuke had recomposed himself back into the stone cold man everyone knew him as.

Though he had temporarily calmed himself, it didn't mean he had lessened his desire to **kill** Danzo. The old man was lucky Sasuke kept a cool head and held himself in control fairly well. Otherwise, Danzo would have found himself six feet under in less than a heartbeat.

"Now," Sasuke said flippantly, in an attempt to write off Naruto's interruption, "let us return to the original topic-"

"You seem unconcerned for your _friend_ , Sasuke."

If Sasuke had been anyone other than an Uchiha, he might have froze right then and there. The trifling tone that seeped into Danzo's voice was a warning, as if he knew something Sasuke didn't. The brunet leveled his emotions, though he wanted nothing more than to wipe him off the face of the earth.

But it would be too brash to do anything about it right at this moment, with the resulting consequences potentially far greater in damages than he could estimate.

Sasuke just had to play along for now.

"I don't know what you're getting at. He's _your_ protege, Danzo."

"And that angers you," Danzo replied, a sly look on his face.

Sasuke raised a manicured eyebrow in mock confusion. He wasn't sure if he was fooling the other in the least, but until Danzo revealed his cards, Sasuke would give away nothing.

"I'm still not sure I follow."

"Spare me the theatrics, Sasuke," Danzo mocked, mimicking Sasuke's earlier words as he sat back in his chair and crossed his ankle over his thigh. He reached into the inner jacket pocket of his suit and threw the now unfolded papers into the table. "I know _exactly_ what you and Naruto are."

For someone with no security walking in a rival family's territory, Danzo sure as hell had gumption trying to goad a reaction out of Sasuke. But when Sasuke reached over for the papers, he realized they were photos… of him and Naruto walking _together,_ from the night they first met up at Black Barrel. He pushed them a little away from him, as if disregarding their meaning.

Though the other man was certainly pushing his weight around, Sasuke was not going to be intimidated by Danzo's tactics. He'd dealt with much worse at much higher stakes.

But he would still need to tread carefully. Sasuke didn't want to say anything more, in case Danzo was just bluffing. Even if he had those photos, what story did they even tell? There was nothing remotely incriminating about the photos- just that they knew each other. The last thing Sasuke wanted was to give the old man more ammunition to work with.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked as he sat back as well, assessing Danzo carefully.

There was a heavy silence between them, though Danzo seemed unfazed at the glare Sasuke was sending him.

"Love," Danzo sneered in mock wistfulness, ignoring Sasuke's harsh expression, "makes even the most powerful men weak. And the daisies? _Adorable_."

Silence once again weighed heavily in the room, neither boss initiating action or word. Sasuke maintained his cool glare, while Danzo picked up his glass of scotch that the younger male had poured earlier and swirled the amber liquid.

Sasuke had to think carefully about what to say next. The man sitting a mere two seats away was one of the more cunning in his line of work; he had to admit that he was particularly unlucky that Danzo had decided to take up shop in Konoha. However, given the economic boom in Hi ( _note: pronounced 'hee')_ Province in recent years, people were bound to flock to its capital in droves.

Godaigoku as a whole was considered a first-world country, but like any other developed capitalist country the wealth gap was large between the rich and the poor. It was why Sasuke had changed his mind about the family business and now considered his work important in maintaining the delicate economic balance of Konoha and Godaigoku at large. He understood what his parents were trying to do-what _Akatsuki_ was trying to do.

But the appearances of Danzo and all the other smaller families were steadily growing into large, proverbial thorns in their sides. If they weren't taken care of, the Shimura family in particular, they would be looking at a nationwide gang war. Unlike the Akatsuki, many of the groups like Danzo's were interested only in furthering their agendas. Though each member of the Akatsuki certainly had their own agendas to push, they were all working towards one unified goal: to help Godaigoku into becoming one of the richest and most influential countries in the world.

It was a lofty goal, to be sure, but with the momentum they'd gotten since Sasuke took over as head of the Uchiha family, it was becoming that much closer to reality.

But Danzo was trying to ruin that progress. Though Sasuke had been the one to invite him to Stonewall Manor in the first place, the older man waltzed in as if he had the upper hand. As if he knew _everything_ there was to know about Sasuke Uchiha.

He wasn't going to let Danzo control the situation.

"If you're going to waste my time with nonsensical babble, Danzo, then perhaps we should reschedule," Sasuke said.

Sasuke knew he was coming off slightly defensive but he wasn't prepared for Naruto's unexpected appearance. If he could stall, even just for a few moments, the young mafia boss could wrap his head around the situation. He stood up from his seat as an added dramatic effect, causing Danzo to lean forward in his chair. The Uchiha sent the other a glare, hoping it would keep up the appearance of annoyance and _not_ panic.

"You're avoiding the topic, Sasuke. I know you don't want to admit it because you're afraid of what I'll do if you confirm it, but I already know about your intimate relationship with Naruto," Danzo said, his blank stare darkening to something a bit more sinister, "You don't know what the Shimura family is capable of, what _I'm_ capable of. But I know exactly how far the Uchiha family will go. That was always something I found particularly annoying about the Uchiha name- there's so much stubborn, stubborn pride, enough to fell even the greatest. Like your parents, and even Itachi. None of you ever saw what was lurking in the shadows, what was waiting to strike at your most vulnerable."

The young mafia boss could smell the poorly disguised threat from a mile away. But it didn't change the fact that Danzo was right, that Sasuke, in fact, didn't know what the Shimura family could do- what they _would_ do.

Sasuke swallowed hard, anger boiling in his blood as he grit his jaw. It was unusual for him to be so emotive, so he was glad he'd only stationed Kakashi in the room other than Saburo, who was busy tending to Naruto. Danzo had brazenly shown up at his door with just Naruto in tow.

"What do you want?" he asked again, remaining where he stood and trying to keep his composure as best he could.

Danzo seemed pleased with the way things were going, but Sasuke wasn't going to give the other man any more reason to enjoy the small victory. After all, not all battles had to be won to win the war. Sasuke would allow Danzo this win.

"I've been told that the Uchiha family took over the Ansen family's drug operations since Yahiko's death. Bring the Shimura family in as sole distributor, split profits 50-50, and I'll forget about your relationship with Naruto."

Yahiko had a huge drug operation, with a grand majority of its supply coming straight from the government itself; the Ansen Research Facility worked closely with the government to study a variety of drugs, both legal and illegal, and the illegal drugs were skillfully recreated in their purest forms by top-notch scientists.

The public-facing drug studies were what most citizens knew and bothered to care about. However, that wasn't all there was to the research facility. Any "leftover" drugs were simply whisked away each night, with no one missing them. Of course, the system wouldn't work so well if it weren't for the fact that the government received a generous "anonymous" annual donation for turning a blind eye to the large amount of supplies the research facility ordered.

Sasuke was hardly a fan of the operation, but he understood the place it had in the world. Any of the extra pharmaceutics were exported (though illegally) to other countries, particularly to developing countries. Yahiko had a trusted tight-knit network of individuals around the world helping distribute those pharmaceutics where it was needed. The young mafia boss would _not_ let Danzo touch this part of the operation, no matter what.

The recreational drugs that the facility produced, on the other hand, served a completely different purpose and brought in the majority of the revenue to cover the research & development costs of the pharmaceutical drugs. In addition, because their _products_ were created in relative abundance, the local black market was not as cutthroat as in other countries.

The drug operation in Godaigoku was in a delicate balance, one that had been carefully maintained by Yahiko himself while he was alive. If Sasuke suddenly included the Shimura family as the local distributor, rather than utilizing the carefully hand-selected network of individuals that had also been maintained by Yahiko, he wasn't sure what the consequences would entail.

The young mafia boss loved Naruto, but was he willing to throw away everything Akatsuki worked for? He wracked his brain trying to find a way out of his now-sticky situation. Whatever he ended up deciding, it would have major effects on not only the Uchiha family, but Konoha and Godaigoku as a whole. He would need to proceed carefully, but not without throwing out a bit of resistance. The last thing Sasuke wanted was to have Danzo push him around.

"Sole distributor? You're kidding, right?" Sasuke laughed mirthlessly, leaning forward on the table as he gazed harshly at the other man, "And what will you do if I refuse? Spread around a bit of gossip?"

Danzo didn't seem fazed at all at Sasuke's flippancy. Instead, his eyes seemed to glimmer with amusement, though his expression was cold.

"You underestimate me, Sasuke," Danzo said, "But the information that I have on the Uchiha family, on the Uzumaki family- there are things you _should_ prefer I keep quiet about. The public fears your name, _reveres_ it, but if they found out what your family did to Naruto's- well, let's just say that you would have more than the tabloids to worry about."

In that moment, Sasuke's stoic veneer started to crack. The young mafia boss fought to keep his cool exterior, despite the panic starting to rise in him.

 _What in the fuck_ did Danzo know about the Uchiha name that Sasuke didn't? And **how** was his family involved with Naruto's?

Something wasn't right, but Sasuke was quickly losing control of the situation and he couldn't afford to let Danzo continue pushing.

"You think I'm going to yield to your half-baked threat? By dragging a civilian into this mess and threatening to blackmail me?"

Before either Sasuke or Danzo said anymore, the door opened, and Naruto stepped back into the room with Saburo following behind him. The blond looked significantly better, with proper color back in his face. But he still looked worse for wear, his lips pressed thin as if trying to keep a hold of himself and his eyes bloodshot.

Danzo stood from his seat at Naruto's return, straightening out his suit as he turned his attention to Sasuke.

"Let us settle on a ceasefire between the Shimura and Uchiha families, at least for now. I look forward to hearing your answer to my proposal within the week, Sasuke. We will take our leave for now. Come, Naruto."

And in knowing it would anger the younger mafia boss, Danzo put his hand on Naruto's shoulder as they exited. The blond looked more than happy to be leaving and spared not even a glance at Sasuke as they went. Sasuke clenched his teeth and dug his nails into his palms as he remained seated at the head of the grand table.

Danzo knew he had found himself quite the leverage against the young Uchiha, but Sasuke was not about to let some second-rate mob boss outsmart him. He'd find Naruto's motivation behind joining the Shimura family. He'd find a way to make it all right.

oooOOooo

The driver was already waiting for them at the front of the Manor when Danzo and Naruto made their way outside. The blond opened the door and waited for Danzo to get in before he rounded to the other side and hopped in there. Once they were outside the manor, Naruto seemed to recover fully, his nerves ebbing away as he got a hold of himself.

After a few minutes of silence, Danzo addressed him, "You're feeling better."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry I had to leave in the middle of it."

Naruto tried to school his nerves when they entered the main hall, but he wasn't sure if Danzo had picked up on the actual reason why he'd felt unwell at the Manor. In any case, it would be wise of Naruto to stay alert from now on, now that he was throwing himself into the proverbial lion's den.

Danzo looked at him wordlessly then got out of the car when his door opened. The blond followed suit, rounding the rear of the car when he stepped out to meet his boss.

"Take the rest of the day off. Be ready by 10 AM tomorrow to attend another meeting with me."

"But sir, Konohamaru-"

"Don't worry about him. I'll pick him up from school myself today."

Naruto couldn't argue with that arrangement. The kid barely had the time to spend with his father, so the unexpected surprise of being picked up by Danzo would probably delight Konohamaru. Besides, the blond was actually kind of thankful for some rest after the earlier debacle.

With a quiet bow, he retreated back to his room.

...

When Naruto pushed through the door to his room, he immediately started to undo his cufflinks. He sat down on the bed and, with intentional movements, undid his shoelaces and kicked off his dress shoes _and_ socks unceremoniously. His suit and dress shirt were also quickly removed from him, hung back up in his closet properly so as not to get any wrinkles.

Finally, Naruto threw himself onto his bed, stripped down to just his boxers. With his limbs sprawled out over the soft linen sheets, he shut his eyes and drew in a deep breath through his nose. It was only at that point that the blond was in a proper mindset to think through what had happened.

He should have expected the unexpected when diving face-first into becoming one of Danzo's "lackeys". Not that he knew Danzo would be dragging him along to a meeting with his ex-lover, but the most powerful families in _Hi_ Province were likely to know one another in some capacity. It wasn't completely uncalled for, for them to meet the way they had today.

Naruto tried to think about what Danzo and Sasuke had discussed and if there was anything worthy to note about their meeting. He felt a mix of guilt and embarrassment settle like a heavy pit in his stomach when he could only recall feeling sick. But when he'd returned to the room, Danzo had mentioned something… a ceasefire, was it? Naruto let out a sharp breath, marking that piece of information important to share with Sai and Yamato.

The blond couldn't rack his brains any further for any other info that would be helpful to pass along, so he let his mind drift. When he finally made his thoughts over to Sasuke and recalled how intense the other's glare was on him, Naruto felt a shiver tingle all over his body.

Seeing Sasuke had stirred up something fierce in him, especially after they had officially established that they were on a break. He hadn't expected seeing Sasuke so soon, but his strong reaction to the other only further proved that Naruto _really_ wanted Sasuke. The blond sighed, indulging himself in a particularly explicit fantasy of Sasuke bending him over on that large table, those strong hands gripping his hips as he pounded into him roughly. Before he knew it, Naruto was more than half hard and fidgeting on the bed, his body becoming hot.

"Fuck," Naruto whispered, feeling annoyed and aroused.

He let his right hand travel lazily over his torso as he shut his eyes, content to focus on the toe-curling sensations. His hand moved over the tanned expanse of skin, breath quickening and fingertips playing with his nipples until they hardened to dusky buds. Then Naruto placed his hands at his sides and squeezed gently, letting out a deep exhale as he imagined Sasuke doing it.

The brunet was amazing at loving him, worshipping every part and piece of him. Sasuke would roam over his body, touching and sucking and licking, and… Naruto sighed, falling out of his immersion at the exact moment his phone started to ring.

"Of course," he murmured as he rolled over to his stomach, carefully tucking his erection as he leaned over the bed to grab his phone from the nightstand. He carelessly flipped himself right back, pulling his phone to his ear as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Hello?"

" _Care to explain what the_ _ **fuck**_ _you were doing at the Manor today?"_

Naruto cursed internally when he heard the other voice on the line, knowing he wasn't ready to have this conversation and that he should've checked the caller ID before picking up. He had rolled over onto his back, shutting his eyes and letting himself get distracted with the stirrings in his lower regions.

"Hm?" he hummed, his voice rumbling a little deeper than usual.

" _I don't have time for games, Naruto. Why were you with Danzo earlier?"_

The blond let out a breathy sigh, holding his phone to his ear with his left hand while the other hand trailed down to the waistband of his boxers. Though he was getting turned on listening to Sasuke when he was switched on to 'business mode', Naruto really didn't want to answer the other. He wasn't good at lying, so the best he could probably do was hold Sasuke at arm's length.

"I was just accompanying him for the day. I _do_ work for him, Sasuke."

His hand slipped underneath his boxers and Naruto had to pull the phone away from him when a strangled sound escaped his throat as he gripped his sensitive cock. He started pumping himself when he put the phone back to his ear, only catching Sasuke's angry voice mid-sentence.

" _-dangerous. The last thing I want is for Danzo to take advantage of you like that."_

"No one is taking advantage of me, _Sasuke_ ," Naruto gruffed out, calling the other's name with a little more sensuality than he'd intended.

" _Really?"_ Sasuke asked, sounding incredulous, probably wrapped up too tightly to even notice Naruto's tone of voice, " _You think he's bringing you along to his meetings just for shits and giggles then? It's his way of shackling you to the Shimura family. You need to make it clear that you don't want to be involved in it. Otherwise-"_

"Sasuke," Naruto interrupted, "he's not shackling me to anything. I'm the one who asked to join his ranks."

The silence that followed sat heavily, and it wasn't until the indignant scoff from the other end of the line that Naruto was even sure their call was still connected. By this point, the blond had completely set aside his base desires, his cock softening as the conversation took a sudden somber turn.

" _You can't be serious_ ," Sasuke finally said, making Naruto feel immediate guilt at his tone, " _You left our relationship because you couldn't stand to be associated with the family business, but_ _ **now**_ _you've decided to join a_ _ **rival**_ _family? For what-all for a kid?_ "

Naruto pressed his lips together, knowing he couldn't reveal the feds' plans - _his_ plans. Even though he wanted nothing more in the world than to tell his ex-lover the truth.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," was all Naruto could say, and he meant every word.

Again, silence. Naruto could imagine the anguish etched on Sasuke's face, and his heart clenched at the thought.

" _I can help you, Naruto,_ " the desperation was starting to reveal itself in Sasuke's voice, " _Whatever it is, even if it means you need me to find a way to take the kid away from Danzo, just - please - tell me what I can do to keep you safe._ "

The blond shut his eyes, thinking about how much he was probably going to end up hurting the man he loved. It wasn't a good feeling, but with the way things were going, he had little choice.

"I should go."

" _Naruto-_ "

"Don't," Naruto interrupted, sitting up on the bed, his boner having long since subsided, "Just… don't, Sasuke. I know what you're thinking, but I have my reasons for doing this."

" _Really? Are they worth your safety? Naruto, you're working with a_ _ **mob boss**_ _. This isn't a game._ "

If there was any time to be utterly indignant about Sasuke's tone, it would then. Naruto had done his best through their conversation to hold his tongue and remain calm, but each condescending remark built up against Naruto's tolerance.

And in the expected fashion as was normal between them, Naruto rose to Sasuke's baiting.

"Of course I know this isn't a game!" Naruto found himself shouting, jumping up from the bed and pacing in his room, "You think I'm _that_ dumb, _that_ naive? There are things happening outside of _your_ world, Sasuke. Even with all the people you know and all the access you have, you _don't_ know everything that's happening in Godaigoku. Don't think for a moment that you're a god here."

" _I know you're not dumb. You're anything but," Sasuke sighed, somewhat resigned, as if wrapping his head around the idea that Naruto wasn't going to change his mind, "But when you're talking about shacking up with the Shimura family, you're putting yourself in a lot of danger. Danzo has always ruled his clan with an iron fist, and I'm afraid for you. I just… I don't want you to get hurt._ "

"I get that. Really, I do. But you need to trust me on this one when I say this is something that I have to do. If there were any other way, I'd have done it."

That was the truth. And Sasuke knew it too, because he remained quiet on the call for some time before he responded, "Okay. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"As careful as I can be," Naruto said gently as he sat heavily on the edge of his bed, his anger having fizzled out into something more remorseful, "Look, I should go."

He heard a sigh on the other end of the line before there was a quiet, " _Yeah, me too. Bye, Naruto._ "

Sasuke hung up right after that, not even giving a moment for Naruto to respond. Admittedly, that hurt. But Naruto knew he deserved it for what he was doing to the Uchiha family - to Sasuke. The blond let his shoulders sag and he dropped his hand onto the mattress, his phone falling onto the covers.


End file.
